Akif Çağatay Kılıç, chief adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on foreign policy and security, assessed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s three-day visit to Türkiye.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) on Tuesday, Kılıç said they expected Germany to oppose the prejudiced political approach of the European Union toward Ankara on the road to EU membership.
Steinmeier, who started his trip in Istanbul, is expected to meet Erdoğan on Wednesday. His trip, the first since he took office years ago, comes at a time of the centenary of diplomatic relations between Germany and the Republic of Türkiye. The two countries enjoy good commercial ties though they differ on several issues.
Kılıç said the visit was a sign of deepening Turkish-German relations. “We have issues on which we have different views and opinions but we have many others we can agree upon and act together,” he said.
He noted that previous administrations of Germany were reluctant regarding Türkiye’s EU membership, and while the incumbent one does not oppose it, there has been a slowdown in the negotiation process.
Another outstanding issue between Türkiye and Germany is Ankara’s pursuit of acquiring Eurofighter jets. Ankara has repeatedly urged Germany to greenlight the sale. Kılıç said the two countries are NATO allies and have responsibilities toward each other.
“Unfortunately, Germany does not demonstrate the support an ally should express. Germany blocks the sale of certain military equipment to Türkiye and we know this has a political angle. We are worried about this stance, which is the outcome of the stance of certain political parties in Germany. This will be on the table (during Steinmeier’s visit),” he said.
“It is against the spirit of alliance to impose restrictions on another ally,” Kılıç underlined.
