German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the state of Turkey’s judiciary and disagreed with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over their opposing views on Israel’s war on Gaza during an official visit to Ankara on Thursday, Turkish Minute reported, citing Agence France-Presse.
Speaking at a joint news conference after talks with Erdoğan, Merz, who paid his first official visit to Turkey following his election as chancellor in May, said he had raised concerns about the independence of Turkey’s judiciary and the rule of law, referring to the case of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is jailed on what critics call politically motivated charges.
“There have been decisions in Turkey that do not yet meet the standards of the rule of law and democracy as we understand them from a European perspective,” Merz said.
“I also expressed my concern that there are issues here that do not meet our expectations, for example regarding the independence of the judiciary. But that is the subject of our ongoing discussions.”
İmamoğlu, seen as the main political rival of Erdoğan, has been in pretrial detention on corruption charges since March. His arrest sparked the largest protests in the country since the anti-government protests of 2013.
Before his visit to Turkey, which began on Wednesday, there was pressure on Merz to voice his concerns about the democratic backsliding in the country during his meeting with Erdoğan.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Merz prior to his visit on Wednesday to not overlook the human rights violations and crackdown on the opposition in Turkey during his meeting with Erdoğan.
Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) MP Ralf Stegner urged the chancellor to address the newly filed “political espionage” charges against İmamoğlu.
“The new arrest warrant for İmamoğlu shows that the domestic political situation in Turkey remains tense,” Stegner told the German DPA press agency.
“Regardless of the importance of bilateral issues and the shared challenges facing Germany and Turkey, such sensitive matters must, of course, be addressed when the chancellor meets with the Turkish president,” Stegner said.
On Sunday Turkish prosecutors issued another arrest warrant for İmamoğlu on additional charges of “political espionage.” İmamoğlu has denied the allegations, saying that he faces “a conspiracy theory.”
At the news conference Merz stressed that Turkey’s path toward closer ties with Europe depends on compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, which commit EU candidates to upholding democracy, human rights and judicial independence to be able to join the bloc.
“Turkey’s decisions must meet these conditions,” he said, noting that Europe expects adherence to these principles in both law and governance.
Turkey was granted official EU candidacy status in 1999 and accession negotiations were initiated in 2005, with Turkey working to align its laws and policies to EU standards.
However, progress stalled for several reasons, including concerns over human rights, democratic governance and the unresolved Cyprus dispute. Tensions between Turkey and the EU intensified after a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, with subsequent political crackdowns raising alarm in European capitals. As a result, EU membership talks have effectively been frozen in recent years.
Despite these challenges, Turkey formally remains a candidate for EU membership.
Erdoğan rejected the criticism, insisting that Turkey remains a functioning democracy where the judiciary acts independently. “Turkey is not an ordinary European or Asian country,” he said. “We are a democracy that ensures all processes function properly. Whoever violates the law, no matter their position, will face justice.”
He added that the case involving the İstanbul mayor “has proceeded within the framework of the rule of law,” saying, “If the judiciary did not do its job, every kind of wrongdoing would go unpunished.”
Sharp disagreement over Gaza
The meeting also revealed deep differences between the two leaders over the war in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s October 2023 attacks on Israel.
Merz reiterated Germany’s position that Israel has the right to self-defense, arguing that the conflict could have ended sooner had Hamas released its hostages and laid down its arms. “It would have taken only one decision to avoid countless unnecessary casualties,” he said, referring to the 251 hostages taken during the initial attack.
Erdoğan sharply disagreed, accusing Israel of committing atrocities. “More than 60,000 women, children and elderly people have been murdered by Israel’s bombs and weapons, which struck Gaza again last night,” he said. “Don’t you see these things in Germany? Aren’t you following them?”
According to the health ministry in Gaza, at least 104 Palestinians were killed in a wave of Israeli strikes in Gaza on Tuesday night, the worst since the beginning of a ceasefire earlier this month.
Calling the situation in Gaza “a genocide,” where more than 68,600 people were killed in Israeli attacks, Erdoğan condemned Western countries, including Germany, for what he described as double standards. “Gaza is being destroyed through hunger and genocide,” he said.
Merz thanked Erdoğan for Turkey’s role in securing the ceasefire in Gaza and expressed hope that Ankara would use its influence to persuade Hamas to enter the second phase of the agreement, describing the situation as “fragile.”
The ceasefire agreement brokered by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey on October 10 is supposed to implement the first stage of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.
Broader talks include defense and migration
Despite their sharp disagreements, Merz and Erdoğan discussed cooperation in defense and migration policy. Merz welcomed Turkey’s decision to purchase 20 Eurofighter jets from the UK, saying the move would strengthen NATO’s collective security amid the threat from Russia.
“Russia’s militant revisionism jeopardizes the Euro-Atlantic security as a whole … and in this context, the German government expressly welcomes Turkey’s decision … to procure 20 Eurofighter jets,” he told journalists in Ankara.
“These aircraft [will] serve the collective security of the alliance.”
Turkey and the UK signed the major defense agreement for the sale of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Turkey on Monday.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is produced by a European consortium led by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Britain signed a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Turkey in July seeking to pave the way for a possible sale of 40 aircraft, and Germany earlier this month approved opening negotiations with Turkey on the possible sale of the Eurofighter jets. Germany had been reluctant to approve major arms sales to Turkey over human rights and political concerns.
A Turkish defense ministry source said Ankara is seeking Berlin’s help to gain access to the European Union’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defense initiative, which requires unanimous approval from EU members. Greece has threatened to block Turkey’s participation, though Germany has signaled possible support.
During the talks, Merz was hoping to secure Turkey’s help in taking back more rejected asylum seekers, with a German government source saying Berlin was looking for “further concrete steps” from Ankara.
Berlin was also looking to resume deportations to Syria and hoping to secure support from Turkey, which has close ties to Damascus, where Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul made his first visit on Thursday and met with President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
