In the context of a recent rift between Turkey and Germany following the July 15 failed coup attempt, bilateral relations between the countries, which share a long history, were put under the microscope at a panel attended by experts at the Ankara-based think tank, the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) on Tuesday.Speaking at the event, the representative of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in Turkey, Sven-Joachim Irmer, Head of Parliament's Human Rights Committee, Mustafa Yeneroğlu, and academic and foreign affairs specialist Enes Bayraklı all emphasized the necessity of continued dialogue between Turkish and German officials. Turkish lawmaker Yeneroğlu began his remarks by reminding attendees that "Turkish – German relations are interconnected, whether we want it or not." He continued "There are 3 million Turks living in Germany and 1.6 million of them are either only German citizens or have acquired dual citizenship. The trade volume between the two countries is nearly $36 billion. The most we have with any country."Continuing his speech, Yeneroğlu stressed the fact that the currently strained relations between the two countries must not be worsened. He criticized the German media and journalism, saying, "German media and journalism have a one-sided view and they often deal with Turkish internal issues as if they were their own." Yeneroğlu claimed the German people were not being informed about Turkey in the right way, and said: "The groups and committees that would not generally come together for an ordinary decision, unfortunately join together when the subject is Turkey. This has placed the Turkish-German relations in serious difficulty." The representative of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation voiced similar concerns and underlined that the German media openly propagates a "misleading perceptions about Turkey."

Emphasizing that Turkey and Germany must continue to "build bridges," Irmer said, "Do not forget the good and positive things we achieved together, otherwise we will not be able to continue the dialogue." He stated that while the German government has many things to do in efforts to build bridges with Turkey, and stressed the necessity of dialogue, noting, "State and government heads must be able to communicate."Meanwhile, SETA expert Bayraklı pointed out the lack of representation the Turkish community in Germany has, and like the other speakers, stressed on the necessity of dialogue. He said: "There is a representation problem for the conservative segment of Turks in Germany. Germany perceives Turkey's activities among its diaspora as a threat." He further noted that there was an "interrelated string of problems" in Turkish – German relations, and added, "It seems that Germany insists on working with the old Turkey and older politicians, and denies accepting the realities of a new Turkey."