The Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Germany, Hakan Fidan and Johann Vaddeful, met today in Berlin, just six weeks after their previous meeting in Ankara and the visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Turkey. The topics of the talks included cooperation in NATO, the possibilities for a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey's membership in the European Union and the development of trade and economic relations, BTA reports.
At the joint press conference, Vaddeful reaffirmed Germany's support for Turkey's European integration and stressed the importance of the Copenhagen criteria related to the rule of law. "Germany wants to play a key role in moving forward on this issue and is ready to support Turkey on its path to Brussels," he added.
Fidan said Turkey was ready to meet the membership criteria, but negotiations remained frozen. The two ministers also discussed Turkey's inclusion in the SAFE defense mechanism, stressing that it was of strategic importance for the security of Europe and Turkey itself.
Vadeful noted Turkey's role in mediating between Kiev and Moscow and stressed the importance of direct negotiations: "If Putin really wants peace, now is the time to sit at the negotiating table." Fidan confirmed Turkey's readiness to host a new round of talks and stressed that "there are no winners in war and no losers in peace." The two ministers also discussed trade and investment relations between the countries, with Fidan highlighting priorities such as renewable energy sources, high technology, digitalization and artificial intelligence. Cooperation in the Middle East was also noted, including Turkey's role in the ceasefire agreement with Hamas and the hostage rescue. Fidan's program in Berlin continues with meetings with business representatives, the Turkish diaspora and a visit to the Bundestag.