Did Erdogan’s visit to Germany contribute to relations between two countries?

President ERDOGAN was received with an official ceremony in Germany last week. Apparently, he also made some important contacts. A couple of his meetings were with Angela MERKEL, the prime minister of the most powerful country in the European Union.

If we go a little back in time, to last year especially (as well as the current year) we will recall that Turkey has experienced some tough issues with Germany. In fact, there was a time when many saw Germany as the main enemy. Nevertheless, relations between two countries did not break, for they were of mutual interest.

The most important of these benefits had to do with the financial support Turkey receives from Germany as well as the support it expects Germany to provide in the EU accession process. The benefit Germany expects to have is apparently for Turkey to perform its function to block the refugees from Syria in Turkey so as to prevent them from moving further into Europe. Thus, owing to these mutual interests and expectations relations between two countries managed to survive.

As for Erdogan’s visit, regardless of the statements made by both partners, we can say not much of a contribution has been achieved. Moreover, we could easily say all parties continued to go their own way and stick to their own arguments.

Indeed, Merkel brought up the existing problem of freedoms in Turkey, again. Likewise, the German president emphasized this issue on every occasion including official dinner hosting Erdogan.

As for Erdogan, he had the same rhetoric and continued to insist that there was no such problem of freedoms in his country and that imprisoned journalists were kept inside for other crimes.

To cut a long story short as the saying goes in Turkish “There was nothing new on the Western front”.