State visit: Steinmeier receives Erdoğan in September in Berlin

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will come to Berlin on 28 and 29 September for a state visit. After media reports were already available, federal president confirmed date. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will welcome Erdoğan with military honors. On evening of first day, according to usual ceremonial, a state banquet is planned.

if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile8’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile8’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–8 ad-desktop–8-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-8’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile8’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 8 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile3’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile3’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–3 ad-mobile–3-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-3’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile3’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 3 mobile’) } } }

Steinmeier had invited Erdoğan to visit Germany after his re-election at end of June. Details of programme are currently being discussed “in close coordination” between two sides, it was said. The Turkish president is also likely to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and or German politicians. But re has not been an official confirmation of this. The question of wher Erdoğan will speak in front of Turkish compatriots was also left open at first.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) had already announced a few days ago that federal government would also address conflict-rich issues in visit, such as situation of detained German citizens in Turkey. The Kurdish community in Berlin wants to demonstrate against Erdoğan in front of Brandenburg Gate.

Arrests and refusals of entry have burdened German-Turkish relations since coup attempt in July 2016 massive. Furr issues are restrictive approval of German arms exports as well as relationship with EU and future of accession negotiations. Turkey accuses Germany of not being against banned Kurdish Workers ‘ party PKK and against movement of preacher Fethullah Gülen.

if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile4’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile4’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–4 ad-desktop–4-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-4’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile4’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 4 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile4’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile4’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–4 ad-mobile–4-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-4’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile4’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 4 mobile’) } } } More Germans travel to Turkey again

At least 54 Germans have been refused entry into Turkey since beginning of year. The release of most prominent prisoner, German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel, however, had brought some relaxation in February. Shortly before World Cup, affair about photos of German pros Mesut Özil and Ilkay Gündoğan with Erdoğan again showed how burdened relations between two countries are still.

In view of danger of terrorism and arrests of German citizens, number of German tourists in Turkey had broken down to 3.6 million in past year. Meanwhile, trend is once again steeply upward. The Turkish government hopes that record figures such as 5.6 million German tourists from 2015 can be reached by end of this year. After abolition of state of emergency in mid-July, Foreign Office had again slightly defused travel advice for one of most popular holiday countries of Germans.