What is the Reason for Merkel's Alignment with Erdogan?

The official visit of Barack Obama, the President of the United States, to Germany and the bilateral discussions between him and Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, on various topics, especially Syria, cannot escape the attention of observers. It seems that Ms. Angela Merkel has spoken in line with the political objectives of the Turkish government and expressed her alignment with Ankara's views. In the press conference held on Sunday, April 24, 2016, in Hannover, Germany, the proposed opinion of Ms. Merkel regarding Syrian refugees and the explicit opposition of Barack Obama to it are particularly significant. Both parties emphasized finding a political solution to resolve the Syrian crisis; both high-ranking political figures also supported the peace negotiations in Geneva. They did not hide their concerns about the existing tensions and the failure to adhere to ceasefire conditions by Syrian opposition groups, especially terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Nusra. Previously, Barack Obama had mentioned the implementation of a second plan and added that if the ceasefire in Syria encounters any deadlock or failure, there would be no choice but to implement the second plan, and the U.S. would have to provide shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles to the opposition. Although the news of the downing of a Syrian army fighter jet in the past two days (April 22) around Damascus has led to much speculation regarding the use of surface-to-air missiles by Syrian opposition forces, and even field reports estimated that the equipping of Syrian opposition with U.S. shoulder-fired missiles known as MANPADS might have occurred, this speculation remains unconfirmed or denied. However, the Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar reported the existence of a type of shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile of Chinese manufacture known as FN-6. Therefore, it seems that some are trying to undermine the ceasefire conditions in Syria. Meanwhile, Barack Obama, in his interview with the BBC, stated that sending U.S. or British ground forces to Syria to overthrow Assad is a mistake. He acknowledged that a military solution alone is not effective for long-term problems in Syria, and the presence of military forces would not only weaken the Western coalition against ISIS and terrorism but would also complicate the political discourse needed to resolve the Syrian crisis. This is why the press conference with Ms. Angela Merkel on Sunday is significant in terms of finding a solution to the Syrian crisis. In her meeting with the U.S. President, Ms. Merkel spoke precisely about the positions of the Turkish government, and this time the Turkish government's stance regarding the establishment of a safe zone and no-fly zone within Syrian territory was expressed through her. Ms. Angela Merkel stated that the establishment of a safe zone should be part of the Syrian negotiations so that Syrian refugees have a place to seek refuge. However, Barack Obama responded to her in the same conference by stating that establishing a safe zone within Syria is not feasible, as this issue has technical problems and implications. Barack Obama explicitly stated, 'My opposition to establishing a safe zone in Syria is not an ideological issue, but a technical one. We need to know how this plan should be implemented, which country and with what forces will manage and be stationed in this area; who will be allowed to move in and out of that area? These are issues that need to be examined from all angles... Unfortunately, it is very difficult to control a large part of the area. This requires a significant military commitment.' The U.S. President reiterated the necessity of a political solution to the Syrian crisis, but the alignment of the German Chancellor with the Turkish government's views, especially after her return from a visit to the Syrian refugee camp in Turkey, cannot be overlooked. Erdogan insists on establishing a safe zone in northern Syria. As is known, the European Union and the Turkish government have reached agreements regarding the crisis caused by the influx of refugees into Europe in recent months. According to this agreement, Turkey has received over $7 billion from the European Union to date, and at the same time, an assurance has been given for the removal of visa requirements for Turkish citizens traveling to Europe, except for the UK. The Turkish government has also committed to preventing the movement of refugees across the Aegean Sea to Greece and other parts of Europe since early April. However, the existence of documents and news regarding the continued movement of refugees and even the arrest of 150 refugees by the Greek government last week and that country's protests led the European Parliament and some of its politicians to express serious objections to the Turkish government, stating that if Turkey fails to fulfill its commitments, the European community will reconsider the agreement with Turkey. In immediate response to these objections, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan explicitly stated that if Europe does not lift the visa requirements in June, the Turkish government will also not fulfill its commitments. It seems that Ms. Angela Merkel is somewhat under pressure from the Turkish government regarding this agreement, and the Turkish President, understanding this reality, has exerted maximum pressure on the German government to impose Turkey's demands on Europe and even the United States through its Chancellor. This is why the expression of Turkey's political stance regarding Syria through Ms. Merkel is thought-provoking. The European Union, under German management, is currently practically managing a kind of 'slave market.' In this market, on one hand, there is a flood of homeless and displaced people, and on the other hand, there are countries that consider the presence of refugees a serious political, economic, and cultural threat. Moreover, the selection of refugees in European society based on talent, education level, religion, and even age conditions indicates the management of 'slavery' that is neither based on European laws and norms nor compatible with the laws and rights of the Turkish state. However, both sides have engaged in this deal to achieve their political and economic goals and to exit temporary crises. Turkey, aware that the European Union considers it a land for Syrians, is nonetheless seeking to shelter Syrian nationals to ultimately 'exploit' the existing conditions in the future and achieve its demographic change goals and cultural impacts on Syrian society. On the other hand, Europe is facing the largest influx of refugees since World War II, and taking appropriate measures could help European society overcome this dilemma. However, Bloomberg's website, citing Arne Dolfz, reports that a member of the Christian Democratic Union party in Germany, which Merkel leads, recently announced that the German intelligence agency has reported that another wave of migrants from Morocco, amounting to one million people, intends to enter Germany. This news will create significant difficulties for the German Chancellor. It seems that Ms. Merkel, in the current situation and the threats posed by refugees, is unable to maintain caution in matters and is preoccupied with geopolitical issues outside Germany. Merkel is caught between two tough situations. The farther she moves away from Germany, the more difficult it becomes for her to maintain her supporters and their votes. On the other hand, instability in all aspects of Europe and finding suitable solutions to satisfy EU members and prevent the collapse of the union, especially with Britain's intention to exit, has also made Ms. Merkel deeply concerned about her political fortune and influence within the European Union. Perhaps that is why she wants to avoid creating another crisis and at least address the raised concerns through her alignment with Turkey.