Call to German President from MPs ahead of Erdoğan visit: 'Address these issues openly'

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will arrive in Turkey tomorrow (22.04.2024) for a three-day official visit.

President Steinmeier will begin his visit in Istanbul, where he will also meet with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Steinmeier, who will examine projects related to earthquake survivors in Gaziantep on Tuesday, will spend the final day of his visit in Ankara with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Steinmeier's schedule in Ankara also includes meetings with CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş.

CALL TO THE PRESIDENT FROM A GERMAN MP

Ahead of the visit, a call came from an opposition German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) MP for Steinmeier to "address these issues openly" with President Erdoğan.

According to a report by DW Türkçe, Jürgen Hardt, the foreign policy spokesperson for the Christian Union (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group, stated in a comment to AFP that the German President should speak clearly about points requiring criticism during his meeting with Erdoğan.

"GERMANS DISAPPROVE OF TURKISH POLITICS"

Referring to the fact that Steinmeier is a former Foreign Minister, Hardt said, "He needs to express that a large portion of Germans disapprove of Turkish politics and the AK Party's stance in Germany."

Drawing attention to serious violations in Turkey, Hardt said, "While corruption in the state is becoming widespread, arbitrary arrests without legal basis targeting journalists and human rights activists continue. Furthermore, the political participation of Kurds is being seriously hindered."

Hardt stated that the success achieved by the opposition in Turkey in the recent local elections "cannot hide the fact that the government is constantly making efforts to remain in power and change the political culture in Turkey."

Recalling the criticisms directed at Erdoğan by Steinmeier's predecessor, Joachim Gauck, during his visit to Turkey 10 years ago, Hardt indicated that he wants Steinmeier to "make more use of the freedom that comes with his office" just as Gauck did.