Türkiye's foreign minister to visit Germany for strategic dialogue meeting

Strategic Dialogue

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Germany on Monday to co-chair the third meeting of the Türkiye-Germany Strategic Dialogue Mechanism with German counterpart Johann Wadephul, as Ankara and Berlin seek to advance cooperation across trade, security and regional stability. The visit marks the first gathering of the mechanism since its revival following an agreement between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chancellor Friedrich Merz in October, according to diplomatic sources.

Working groups on bilateral relations, EU ties, security and defense, and regional affairs will present reports to the ministers during the Berlin session. Fidan is expected to express satisfaction regarding the recent intensification of high-level contacts and the constructive atmosphere prevailing between the two NATO allies.

Economic partnership

Fidan is set to underline the strategic potential of connectivity projects linking Europe to Asia through Türkiye while discussing ways to enhance the current $52.2 billion bilateral trade volume toward the targeted $60 billion mark, the sources said. He will emphasize that the Turkish diaspora in Germany constitutes an essential element reinforcing the human dimension of bilateral ties while also addressing opportunities to elevate cooperation in green energy, digitalization and high technology sectors.

The ministers are expected to review defense industry cooperation and confirm plans for the fifth Defense Industry Cooperation Meeting later this year as agreed by Erdogan and Merz. They will also examine joint projects aimed at strengthening military ties and enhancing infrastructure corridors linking Europe to the Middle East, South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Regional agenda

On Middle East security, Fidan will stress the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and reiterate Ankara's support for diplomatic efforts to permanently end the war between Iran and the United States, according to the briefing. He is also expected to note that Israel's expansionist policies under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain the primary source of regional instability while underlining that direct talks between Russia and Ukraine are essential for achieving a lasting peace.

The Turkish foreign minister will underscore that any European security strategy excluding Türkiye's geopolitical weight and capabilities would remain incomplete, calling for Ankara's inclusion in EU-led defense initiatives. He will also urge progress on modernizing the Customs Union and revitalizing the Visa Liberalization Dialogue, noting that German support remains critical for unlocking the full economic potential.

Mechanism history

The Strategic Dialogue Mechanism was established in May 2013 to provide an institutional framework for bilateral ties and support Türkiye's EU accession process, though it lay dormant for over a decade following the second meeting in Istanbul in June 2014 until its recent revival. Recent months have seen intensified high-level exchanges including Merz's visit to Türkiye in October 2025 and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's trip in February 2025, while Fidan last visited Berlin in November 2025.

The seventh Energy Forum and the next Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting are scheduled to convene in Ankara on June 19, with bilateral trade currently supported by $13.5 billion in German investments in Türkiye and over $4.7 billion in Turkish investments in Germany. Some 6.7 million German tourists visited Türkiye in 2025, reflecting the deep social and cultural bonds between the countries.