German Foreign Ministry official Maria Boehmer left Berlin on Sunday for an official trip to Ankara to meet high-ranking Turkish government officials, only the second official German visit to Turkey this year.
The trip, the first since German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel visited in June, will see Boehmer meeting Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Yıldız, Human Rights Committee Chairman Mustafa Yeneroğlu and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) delegate Akif Cağatay Kılıç.
Boehmer is also to meet with representatives of United Nations aid organizations to talk over education and integration of refugees, as well as to visit the Turkish-German University in Istanbul.
Ties between Ankara and Berlin have been strained since the defeated coup in Turkey last year as Turkish politicians criticized their German counterparts for failing to show strong solidarity with Ankara against the attempted military takeover.
Ankara has also criticized Berlin for ignoring outlawed groups and terrorist organizations, like the PKK and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) which continue to operate in Germany. FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader, Fetullah Gülen, orchestrated the failed coup of July 15, 2016.
Despite disagreements, both sides have expressed interest in dialogue to improve relations between the two countries.
