2018 Visit By Recep Tayyip Erdoğan To Germany
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In September 2018, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Germany at the invitation of the German president
Frank-Walter Steinmeier Frank-Walter Steinmeier (; born 5 January 1956) is a German politician who has served as President of Germany since 2017. He was previously Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), federal minister for foreign affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again f ...
who had invited Erdogan after his re-election in 2018. Erdogan arrived on 27 September and departed on 29 September. With the invitation by Steinmeier, the visit became a
state visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...
which included military honors and a
state banquet A state banquet is an official banquet hosted by the head of state in their official residence for another head of state, or sometimes head of government, and other guests. Usually as part of a state visit or diplomatic conference, it is held ...
.


Background

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had visited Germany several times before, also in 2014 as a prime minister, but as an acting president, it was his first journey to Germany. In July, the German newspaper
Bild ''Bild'' (, ) or ''Bild-Zeitung'' (, ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper '' Bild am Sonntag'' () is published instead, which has a differen ...
reported that Erdogan would visit Germany in September. That it would be a state visit which includes a state banquet and military honors were confirmed in early August 2018. In an op-ed in the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The (; ''FAZ''; "Frankfurt General Newspaper") is a German newspaper founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt and is considered a newspaper of record for Germany. Its Sunday edition is the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung'' ( ...
the day before, Erdoğan aimed for a restart in Turkish-German relations. He also wanted Germany to designate the
Gülen movement The Gülen movement () or Hizmet movement () is an Islamist fraternal movement. It is a sub-sect of Sunni Islam based on a Nursian theological perspective as reflected in Fethullah Gülen's religious teachings. It is referred to by its membe ...
, which his Government blames for a failed coup d'état, a terrorist organization. Germany is home to a diaspora of about 3 Million people from Turkey. Other issues at stake were the press freedom and detention conditions in Turkey. Against his visit, protests were held in several cities in Germany, and prominent politicians refused to take part in the state banquet for Erdogan hosted by the German president.


Security measures

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan descended upon Berlin through airspace excluded for private aircraft and snipers were deployed on top of the roof of the hotel he was staying. For his safety, some 4200 German police officers were in charge in Berlin where several streets were closed in the governmental district. In
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, where Erdogan inaugurated a mosque on Sunday, 3000 police officers were deployed for his security.


27 September

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife
Emine Erdoğan Emine Erdoğan (; born 16 February 1955) is the current first lady of Turkey as the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Early and personal life Early life Emine Erdoğan was born as Cemal and Hayriye Gülbaran’s fifth child and only ...
arrived on 27 September 2018 at the
Berlin Tegel airport Berlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal" Airport () was the primary international airport of Berlin, the capital of Germany. The airport was named after aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal and was the fourth busiest airport in Germany, with over 24 millio ...
where he was received on a red carpet cordoned with military officers. Outside the airport, his arrival was met with protests from
Reporters without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...
, who displayed a screen reading "Erdoğan lands in Berlin, Journalists in Prison". In Berlin, he stayed at the
Hotel Adlon The Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is a luxury hotel in Berlin, Germany. It is on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the central Mitte district, at the corner with Pariser Platz, directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate. The original Hotel Adlon ...
on
Pariser Platz Pariser Platz () is a square in the historic center of Berlin, Germany, situated by the Brandenburg Gate at the end of Unter den Linden boulevard. The square is named after the French capital of Paris to commemorate the victory of the Sixth ...
.


28 September


Military honors

In the morning Erdoğan and his wife were welcomed by the German President Frank Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace. The two presidents then walked through a military formation and the national anthems of Germany and Turkey were played.


Meeting with Angela Merkel

In their meeting, it was discussed how to improve the situation for the 3 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany and diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries.


Press conference

At the press conference, Erdoğan threatened not to show up, if
Can Dündar Can Dündar (, born 16 June 1961) is a Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian. Editor-in-chief of center-left ''Cumhuriyet'' newspaper until August 2016, he was arrested in November 2015 after his newspaper published footage showing the ...
the former
Editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
of the Turkish newspaper
Cumhuriyet ''Cumhuriyet'' (; English: "Republic") is the oldest up-market Turkish daily newspaper. It has been described as "the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey". The newspaper was awarded the ''Freedom of Press ...
would also take part. Can Dündar lives in German exile, but is wanted by the Turkish authorities. Eventually, Can Dündar decided not want to take part to avoid a diplomatic spat. As Erdoğan had the word, he again demanded the extradition of Can Dündar for him being a criminal, to which
Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
replied that in the case of Can Dündar, they had different points of view and the fact that Dündar did not take part was Dündars decision, not that of the German Government. During the press conference, a journalist was pulled out from the crowd for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan liberty for journalists in the
Turkish language Turkish ( , , also known as 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, a member of Oghuz languages, Oghuz branch with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languag ...
. The German authorities defended themselves that it was not allowed to wear a T-shirt with a political slogan during the press conference.


State banquet

The state banquet for Erdoğan took place at the Bellevue palace in Berlin. Before the visit, a state banquet was criticized by several politicians as it would be too much of an honor for a controversial partner of Germany. The party leaders
Christian Lindner Christian Wolfgang Lindner (; born 7 January 1979) is a German former politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) who was the Federal Minister of Finance from 2021 until his dismissal in 2024 during the 2024 German government crisis. Servi ...
of the Free Democratic Paty (FDP),
Annalena Baerbock Annalena Charlotte Alma Baerbock (; born 15 December 1980) is a German politician and diplomat of the Alliance 90/The Greens party. She served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), Germany's minister for foreign affairs from 2021 to 2025. I ...
and
Robert Habeck Robert Habeck (; born 2 September 1969) is a German politician (Alliance 90/The Greens) and writer who served as Vice Chancellor of Germany, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and ...
from the Greens and
Alice Weidel Alice Elisabeth Weidel (; born 6 February 1979) is a German far-right politician who has been serving as of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party alongside Tino Chrupalla since June 2022. Since October 2017, she has held ...
and Alexander Gauland of the
Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...
(AfD) declined to attend in protest against Erdogan. Sevim Dagdelen from the
Die Linke Die Linke (; ), also known as the Left Party ( ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of the merger of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and Labour and Social Justice – The ...
reasoned that she does not want to dine with someone who supports terrorists in the Syrian Civil War or holds thousands of politicians as prisoners while Bijan Djir-Sarai from the FDP declined due to the German prisoners in Turkish prisons. The fact that Angela Merkel was also not on the list of attendees was also politicized, but the chancellery replied that Merkel took part only a few times in state banquets and would meet Erdogan already twice elsewhere during the visit. Many Ministers of her cabinet did also not take part.


Speeches

During the state banquet Steinmeier addressed the attendees, he lauded how the Turkish diaspora contributed to the economy of Germany and also criticized the NSU murders against Turkish nationals for which Germany was ashamed. But he also voiced concern for the human rights situation in Turkey and emphasized that during the
Nazi Government The government of Nazi Germany was a totalitarian dictatorship governed by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party according to the . Nazi Germany was established in January 1933 with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, followed ...
Germans received asylum in Turkey and that now 80 years later, Germany can return the favor of giving asylum to Turks. Erdoğan replied in a prepared speech in which the content the attendees were given handouts before the banquet lauding the Turkish German relations from their
military alliance A military alliance is a formal Alliance, agreement between nations that specifies mutual obligations regarding national security. In the event a nation is attacked, members of the alliance are often obligated to come to their defense regardless ...
during World War I to modern times. But he then went on beyond the prepared speech to criticize that in Germany it was able for members of the "terror organization"
Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...
(PKK) to walk free and demanded a crackdown on terror in which he also included the Gulen movement. At the reception of the banquet,
Cem Özdemir Cem Özdemir (; ; born 21 December 1965) is a German politician who served as Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Germany), Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture in the Scholz cabinet, cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz from 2021 to 202 ...
of the Greens greeted Erdoğan in the hope to talk to him later in the evening. He wore a sticker saying in Turkish, ''Give to us the liberty of thought'', an expression in the play
Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is an 1867 five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the 1787 play '' Don Karlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...
by
Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...
. The two then did not talk anymore during the banquet.


29 September


Erdogan-Laschet meeting

Armin Laschet Armin Laschet (; born 18 February 1961) is a German politician who served as Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 27 June 2017 to 26 October 2021. He served as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 22 January 2021 t ...
, the Premier Minister of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
wanted to meet Erdoğan in , but the owners of the castle demanded from a court in Cologne to prohibit it for political reasons, alleging that they had rented it to the
University of Cologne The University of Cologne () is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in 1388. It closed in 1798 before being re-established in 1919. It is now one of the largest universities in Germany with around 45,187 students. The Universit ...
and they were only made aware of the Erdoğan-Laschet meeting through the media the day before. Laschet and Erdoğan then met at the Cologne Airport.


DiTiB mosque inauguration

After having met with Armin Laschet at the Airport of Cologne, Erdoğan inaugurated the central mosque of the
Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs The Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DİTİB; ; ) is one of the largest Islamic organisations in Germany. Founded in 1984 as a branch of the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Ankara, it is an "arm" of the Turkish state. The headq ...
(DİTİB). The inauguration was planned to be held in attendance of thousands of attendees but the DİTİB failed to provide a security concept for the event and therefore Cologne prohibited a public inauguration and only permitted one with guests. Colognes Mayor
Henriette Reker Henriette Reker (born 9 December 1956) is a German lawyer and independent politician. She is known for her pro-immigration stance and for being the victim of an . A day after the attack, Reker was elected List of mayors of Cologne, mayor of Col ...
lamented that the mosque was not officially inaugurated before as the mosque was already in use also before Erdogan's visit. She complained that with this belated inauguration, the DİTİB revealed that it was an extension of Erdogan's influence and not interested in cooperation with German institutions.


Aftermath

Returned to Turkey, Erdoğan lauded the hosts Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier and suggested their visit to Turkey in 2019. But he also recalled that during the state banquet, Steinmeier had pointed to his concerns over the human rights situation in Turkey which led Erdoğan to also accuse Germany that it protected
terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
referring to members of the Turkish opposition living in Germany. Further, he demanded the extradition of 136 people, who according to Erdoğan were terrorists.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2018 visit by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Germany Germany–Turkey relations Recep Tayyip Erdoğan State visits by Turkish presidents