Germany–Turkey relations

German–Turkish relations

Germany	Turkey

German–Turkish relations have their beginnings in the times of the Ottoman Empire and have culminated in the development of strong bonds with many facets that include economic, military, cultural and social relations. With the possible accession of Turkey to the European Union, of which Germany is the biggest member, and the existence of a huge Turkish diaspora in Germany, these relations have become more and more intertwined over the decades.

History

Late 19th century and World War I

German-Turkish Treaty of Friendship and Non-Aggression

• Baghdad Railway
• Ottoman–German Alliance
• Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau
• Middle Eastern theatre of World War I

World War II

During World War II, Turkey maintained diplomatic relations with Germany until August 1944. In October 1941, so called "Claudius Agreement" (named after the German negotiator, Dr. Karl Clodius) was achieved, whereby Turkey would export up 45,000 tons of chromite ore to Germany in 1941-1942, and 90,000 tons of the mineral in each of 1943 and 1944, contingent on Germany's supplies of military equipment to Turkey. The Germans provided as many as 117 railway locomotives and 1,250 freight rail cars to transport the ore. In an attempt to prevent the supply of this strategic mineral to Germany, the United States and Britain went on a spree of what was termed "preclusive buying," buying Turkish chromite even if they did not need so much of it themselves; as part of the "package deal," the Anglo-Americans had to buy Turkish dried fruit and tobacco as well.

In August 1944, as the Soviet Army entered Bulgaria, severing overland contact between Turkey and the Axis powers, Turkey severed its diplomatic and commercial relations with Germany. On February 23, 1945, Turkey declared war on Germany.

Accession of Turkey to the European Union

Main article: Accession of Turkey to the European Union

Germany's support to the Turkish bid has not been consistent in the German political arena. Support has varied over time with examples such as former Chancellors like Helmut Kohl, who expressed opposition on the issue, while Gerhard Schröder was seen to be a staunch supporter.^{[citation needed]}

Chancellor Merkel's views on accession

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has advocated a "vaguely defined partnership and has opposed full membership of Turkey to the EU. Current Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in response in July 2009, "We will never accept a privileged partnership. We want full membership into the EU. We don't want anything else than full membership.”

In 2006, Chancellor Merkel said "Turkey could be in deep, deep trouble when it comes to its aspirations to join the European Union" regarding its refusal to open up its ports to European Union member Cyprus. She added

We need an implementation of the Ankara Protocols regarding unrestricted trade with Cyprus too. Otherwise, the situation becomes very, very serious when it comes to the continuation of Turkey's accession negotiations. I appeal to Turkey to do everything to avoid such a complicated situation and not to lead the European Union into such a situation.

Merkel also said that she could not imagine negotiations continuing without concessions made by Ankara toward opening up its ports to Cypriot ships. The Turkish Government responded by demanding that the EU lift its embargo on the Turkish controlled part of the island in return.

State visits

The monogram of Wilhelm II and the tughra of Abdul Hamid II on the dome of the German Fountain in Istanbul, commemorating the Kaiser's visit to Turkey in 1898

In 2006, Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss accession of Turkey to the EU.

In 2008, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Chancellor Merkel in Berlin and also visited Munich. He suggested during the visit that the German government establish Turkish medium schools and that German high schools hire more teachers from Turkey.

In 2011, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made another visit to Germany During a speech in Düsseldorf, he urged Turks in Germany, to integrate, but not assimilate, a statement that caused a political outcry in Germany.

Economic relations

Germany and Turkey have held strong economic ties with one another throughout time. Machinery, electrical goods and motor vehicles and supply parts for the automobile industry account for a particularly large portion of German exports to Turkey. Textiles/leather goods and food, and increasingly motor vehicles and electronic goods, are the principal German imports from Turkey.

Turkish diaspora

Main articles: Turkish diaspora and Turks in Germany

Turkish and Turkish Cypriot youth performing as an Ottoman military band in Uetersen

With an estimated number of at least 2.1 million Turks in Germany, they form the largest ethnic minority. The vast majority are found in Western Germany.

Based on good Turkish-German relations from the 19th century onwards, Germany promoted a Turkish immigration to Germany. However, large scale didn't occur until the 20th century. Germany suffered an acute labor shortage after World War II and, in 1961, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) officially invited Turkish workers to Germany to fill in this void, particularly to work in the factories that helped fuel Germany's economic miracle. The German authorities named these people Gastarbeiter (German for guest workers). Most Turks in Germany trace their ancestry to Central and Eastern Anatolia. Today, Turks are Germany's largest ethnic minority and form most of Germany's Muslim minority.

External links

• Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Germany
• Turkish Secretariat General for EU Affairs