Turkish Foreign Minister's Visit to Germany; Efforts to Improve Bilateral Relations

Germany and Turkey took steps to improve their relations, which have soured in recent months, during a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, although both sides acknowledge that significant issues remain. On Saturday, January 6, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel welcomed Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the city of Goslar, Germany. Ankara is trying to revive its relations with the European Union, which were severely weakened last year. Specifically, the German government is angry about the detention of several Germans or German-Turkish citizens in Turkey, including journalist Deniz Yucel, on charges of terrorism. In total, several German citizens are imprisoned in Turkey, and the German government believes these detentions have political motives. Deniz Yucel, a reporter for the German newspaper Die Welt, has been imprisoned in Turkey for 11 months. On Saturday, Sigmar Gabriel also noted that there have been recent advancements regarding the status of imprisoned citizens of this country in Turkey, with several German citizens having been released from prison. The foreign ministers of Germany and Turkey also proposed that the joint economic commission of the two countries, which has not met in recent months, resume its work, and that meetings related to 'strategic dialogue' between the ministers of the two governments be revitalized. After the meeting with Mr. Cavusoglu, Sigmar Gabriel pointed out that both countries are NATO members, stating, 'We cannot expect to reach agreements on all issues quickly. There are differences of opinion, but we will continue our negotiations and discussions in an open manner with mutual respect.' Mr. Cavusoglu also emphasized 'sincere cooperation' between the two countries but acknowledged that there are differences regarding the stalled plan for Turkey's EU membership. The Turkish Foreign Minister said, 'We need to resolve issues like the revival of the customs agreement that benefits both countries.' Germany, being the largest economy in Europe, is Turkey's main trading partner, but Turkey's exports to Germany decreased by nearly six percent in the first nine months of 2017 compared to the same period the previous year.