German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier is to pay a visit to Turkey in October, keeping diplomatic relations rolling not long after a major state visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on German soil at the end of September.
Altmaier is to spend two days in Turkey, October 25 and 26, German Press Agency (DPA) has learned.
Planned for the visit is the first session of a joint economic and trade commission — a project that has been in the offing for many years, setting out the future of Turkish-German economic relations.
Altmaier is to bring an 80-person delegation with him.
EU heavyweight Germany remains Turkey's main economic and trade partner despite political disagreements between governments on a number of issues. In 2017, the bilateral trade volume reached 37.6 billion euros ($43.6 billion).
Turkish exports to Germany increased in 2017 by 5.4 percent to 16.1 billion euros, while Germany's exports fell by 2.2 percent to 21.5 billion euros.
Ties between Ankara and Berlin have been strained since the defeated coup in Turkey as Turkish politicians criticize 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 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.
