Türkiye contributed to the historic cease-fire in Gaza through its mediating role, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Friday ahead of his Ankara visit.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Germany's top diplomat said his talks in Ankara later in the day will cover Middle East developments, the Gaza cease-fire, Syria's political transition, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other foreign policy issues.
"In the Middle East conflict, Türkiye contributed to the historic cease-fire in Gaza through its mediating role," Wadephul said, referring to the cease-fire between Hamas and Israel based on U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point plan.
"With the release of the hostages and the cease-fire, much has been achieved that seemed impossible just a few weeks ago. However, the work toward a safe and dignified future for the people of Gaza is just beginning," he continued.
"Together, we are pushing for full access for humanitarian actors to alleviate the worst suffering, and together we are working to ensure the full implementation of the 20-point plan for a long-term peace," Wadephul said, emphasizing that Berlin expects continued pressure on Hamas.
The Turkish public and government are major supporters of the Palestinian cause. Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but as the Israeli attacks became more brutal, Ankara has become harsher in its criticism in the past year. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join the genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel rejects.
Hamas released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of 10 more captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the cease-fire agreement.
The deal was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a plan presented by U.S. President Donald Trump. Phase 1 included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.
During his day-long trip to Ankara, Wadephul is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for extensive discussions on a range of critical international and regional issues. The talks will also cover bilateral ties, the evolving EU-Türkiye relationship, ongoing defense industry cooperation, and NATO alliance matters.
"Türkiye is a key strategic partner for us within the NATO alliance," Wadephul stressed ahead of his talks, noting that discussions with his Turkish counterpart will also address international and regional security matters, as well as the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"It is our common goal to bring this war to a swift end-to this end, we must also dry up Russia's war chest even more quickly. As the guardian of the Montreux Convention, Türkiye also has direct responsibility for access to the Black Sea. Istanbul is also an important venue for negotiations," the German minister said.
Türkiye and Germany also share significant bilateral trade, while a large Turkish community resides in the country.
Germany is home to the world's biggest overseas community of people of Turkish origin, numbering around 2.8 million, many descendants of workers who came to the country to plug labor shortages in the 1960s and '70s.
