Human Rights Watch urged Friedrich Merz to condemn Turkey’s suppression of opposition voices and the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu.
During his first official visit to Ankara, German Chancellor Merz called for a deeper strategic partnership with Turkey to address global challenges.
He spoke beside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, days after Turkey and the UK completed a multi-billion-euro agreement for 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
Germany, a member of the jet’s manufacturing consortium, had recently removed its objection to exporting the aircraft to Turkey.
Security Cooperation and Regional Tensions
Reports indicate German support for Turkey’s inclusion in the €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence programme, which aims to boost Europe’s military capacity.
The plan allows non-EU members such as Turkey to join shared defence projects.
Greece opposes Turkey’s participation, insisting that Ankara withdraw its threat of war over sea boundary disputes before joining.
Merz avoided discussing SAFE directly but stressed the need for stronger collaboration.
“Germany and Turkey must use our partnership’s vast potential more effectively in the coming years,” he said.
He added that shifting global power dynamics demand stronger alliances, declaring that Europe cannot advance without a close partnership with Turkey.
Human Rights and Gaza Expose Divisions
Tensions surfaced during the press conference over democracy and Gaza.
Human Rights Watch again pressed Merz to denounce Turkey’s actions against opposition leaders such as İmamoğlu, who remains in pretrial detention on corruption and espionage charges that he denies.
Merz refrained from naming İmamoğlu but noted that Turkey’s recent decisions still fall short of European standards for democracy and the rule of law.
Erdoğan defended the judiciary, insisting that every citizen faces legal consequences if they break the law.
Merz reaffirmed Germany’s unwavering support for Israel since its founding but said this loyalty does not exclude criticism.
He repeated his view that Israel acted in self-defence in Gaza and argued that Hamas could have ended the war by freeing hostages and laying down arms.
Erdoğan condemned Israel’s campaign, accusing it of using “starvation and genocide” and criticised Germany for ignoring the military imbalance.
“Can’t you see this, Germany?” he asked.
