1924 was a profound new beginning for both the and Germany: As allies, both states had been on the losing side of and had been forced to relinquish territory as a result and both countries saw the end of the monarchy. In Germany, the Weimar Republic replaced the German Empire.
But the transformations within Turkey were even more radical: the country’s founder, The caliphate and Sharia law of the Ottoman Empire were replaced by a Western legal.
Previously, the two former states, the Ottoman Empire and the German Empire had also maintained close diplomatic, military, and trade relations. Only a few months after the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923, diplomatic ties were re-established and a treaty of friendship was signed.
However according to historian and Turkey expert Rasim Marz, Germany did not take the agreement very seriously at the time: “Despite the resumption of relations in 1924, the crisis-stricken Weimar Republic did not attach much political significance to diplomatic relations with the young Republic of Turkey until the 1930s,” he wrote to DW. But “Germany’s good reputation within Turkey remained unchanged.”
Turkey: Refuge for victims of the Nazi regime
One chapter in German-Turkish relations that is often forgotten today was the period of exile for several hundred Germans persecuted during the Nazi era who went to politically neutral Turkey. “Turkey under Atatürk became a refuge for many persecuted academics. The Turkish Republic needed highly qualified people,” says Rasim Marz. Among them were the SPD (Social Democratic Party) politician and later mayor of Berlin Ernst Reuter, the economist and politician Fritz Baade, the composer Paul Hindemith, and many others. They “were instrumental in the further expansion of the state based on the European model,” according to Marz.
Turkish migrants in Germany
Probably no decision has had a more lasting impact on current relations than the signing of in 1961. According to the Federal Foreign Office, around 876,000 people came from Turkey as a result. They worked in mining, in the car industry, and opened stores. Many brought their families with them and settled down permanently. Today, around three million people with Turkish roots live in Germany.
German President is on a state visit to Turkey, his first since taking office in 2017.
At the very start of his visit to Turkey, he paid tribute to these workers at a historic site: At Istanbul’s Sirkeci train station, where many of the recruited Turks boarded trains bound for Germany. “They helped build our country, they made it strong, and they belong at the heart of our society,” said Steinmeier.
Deterioration of relations under Erdogan
But since Recep Tayyip Erdogan took office as Turkey’s president, relations between the two countries have deteriorated. Erdogan has clamped down on political opponents, especially after an attempted coup in 2016. The German government has repeatedly condemned the human rights situation in Turkey. The fact that it had been ten years since a German president last visited Turkey is a telling sign of the tensions.
Erdogan’s views on the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip Erdogan has defended Hamas’s massacre of Israelis on 7 October and described Hamas as a liberation organization, while it is recognized as a terrorist organization by the German government, the EU, the US and some Arab states.
Germany has been critical of some of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, but they uphold their commitment to protect the Jewish State as an official matter of German national interest. As if to underline the contrasts, Erdogan met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniya shortly before Steinmeier’s arrival.
During his visit to Istanbul, the German President was confronted by demonstrators protesting against Germany’s policy on Israel.
EU membership negotiations with Turkey are on hold
German-Turkish relations have long been part of Turkey’s relations with the EU as a whole. Since 2005, Turkey has been a candidate for EU membership, with the support of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. In reality, however, membership negotiations have long been on hold, another consequence of Erdogan’s tough domestic and foreign policy.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel took a cautious approach towards Turkey, partly because s. Politicians in the current SPD-led government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz have been more vocal about their concerns, especially Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the Green Party.
This does not sit well with the Turkish leadership, says Rasim Marz: “Germany has lost considerable influence in Ankara since the era of Angela Merkel. There is deep discord between the two countries on various issues, as was evident during Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s last visit (in July 2022).” There is also “little prospect” of EU membership negotiations being restarted, says historian and Turkey expert Rasim Marz.
A new beginning?
The German government is pinning its hopes on Turkish civil society and the Turkish opposition. A few weeks ago, . The main opposition party, the CHP, gained ground across the country. The party’s brightest hope, and possible future president, is the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, who President Steinmeier met before his meeting with Erdogan. This was meant as a sign that Germany is hoping for political change and a fresh start in Turkish-German relations.
This article was originally written in German.
While you’re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.
The post Germany and Turkey: 100 years of diplomatic relations appeared first on Deutsche Welle.