ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay an official visit to Germany on Friday at the invitation of German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul, according to diplomatic sources.

The trip will mark Fidan’s first bilateral visit to Germany, the sources said. Fidan last visited the country on Feb.14–17 to attend the 61st Munich Security Conference, while his German counterpart was most recently hosted in Ankara on Oct. 17.

During the upcoming visit, Fidan is also expected to meet with Turkish business leaders and representatives of civil society organizations in Germany.

According to diplomatic sources, Fidan’s talks with Wadephul will underline “the importance of maintaining the work of consultation and dialogue mechanisms that have gained momentum through high-level visits in Türkiye-Germany relations.”

The minister is expected to express satisfaction with “the steady strengthening of bilateral economic and trade relations,” and to assess opportunities for advancing cooperation mechanisms in energy and transportation “with a strategic vision.”

Fidan will also highlight that information and experience sharing with Germany “can be further enhanced in areas such as connectivity, artificial intelligence, high technology and digitalization.”

- Türkiye-Germany relations

Diplomatic sources also offered an overview of Türkiye-Germany relations, which continue to gain momentum through political, economic, commercial, military, defense, human and cultural engagements.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier last visited Türkiye on Feb. 5, 2025, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited on Oct. 29-30, 2025.

Germany remains Türkiye’s strongest trade partner in Europe and its largest export market worldwide, with bilateral trade reaching $47.5 billion in 2024 (exports: $20.4 billion; imports: $27.08 billion).

The two countries maintain the goal of raising trade volume to $60 billion in the short term.

Germany’s direct investments in Türkiye amounted to $771 million in 2024, making it the second-largest foreign investor with a 12% share. Between 2005–2024, German direct investments in Türkiye reached $13 billion, while Turkish investments in Germany exceeded $4 billion.

The most recent meeting of the Türkiye–Germany Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO/ETOK) was held in Berlin on Sept. 27, 2024, with the next session planned for Türkiye in the first half of 2026.

With a population of more than 3 million, the Turkish community in Germany continues to form “the human foundation of Türkiye–Germany relations,” strengthening the social and cultural ties between the two countries, the sources added.

- Türkiye-EU relations

He is also expected to convey Türkiye’s expectations regarding its EU relations, including the modernization of the Customs Union, progress in Visa Liberalization Dialogue, and Türkiye’s inclusion in the EU’s industrial strategy.

The minister will stress that “a stronger, institutionalized and mutually trusted cooperation between Türkiye and the EU must be developed,” while welcoming recent constructive statements on revitalizing Türkiye–EU strategic dialogue.

He will underline that Türkiye is “a strong country and a NATO ally capable of making significant contributions to Europe’s security architecture, stability and prosperity in every respect.”

In this context, Fidan will draw attention to the importance of ensuring that the EU’s recently accelerated defense and security initiatives “are carried out in coordination with Türkiye in a manner complementary to NATO’s efforts.”

He is also expected to emphasize the importance of Türkiye’s active participation in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism and to discuss possible areas of cooperation.

On defense, Fidan will exchange views on “joint projects that could be implemented to strengthen military relations and defense industry cooperation between the two allied countries,” underscoring that the agreement reached on the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft represents “an important development.”

Diplomatic sources noted that Fidan will reiterate that “the peace, security and well-being of the Turkish community in Germany is a fundamental priority for Türkiye.”

- Regional stability, security

The minister will also reaffirm Türkiye’s commitment to efforts aimed at ending the Russia–Ukraine war through “a just and lasting peace acceptable to all parties,” and will state that Türkiye stands ready to contribute to steps taken in this direction.

Turning to the Middle East, Fidan will stress that “Israel must not be allowed to undermine the ceasefire achieved in Gaza,” and will emphasize the need to secure “a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid, the launch of reconstruction efforts, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.”

He will note that steps taken under the relevant UN Security Council resolution, including the establishment of a “Peace Board” and an “International Stabilization Force,” must align with the perspective of a two-state solution.

Regarding Syria, Fidan will discuss ongoing efforts and contacts aimed at achieving lasting stability and security in the country “on the basis of Syria’s territorial integrity and unity.”

He is also expected to state that, as a new member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (Daesh), Syria must be placed at the center of counterterrorism efforts, and that “all restrictions and sanctions on Syria should be lifted” within this framework.