German government spokesman Steffen Meyer said on Monday that Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s upcoming trip to Turkey will focus solely on talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with no meetings planned with opposition politicians.
“The plan is to focus on bilateral talks with Mr. Erdoğan; I am not aware of any further talks,” Meyer told reporters at a government press briefing in Berlin. His remarks came ahead of Merz’s inaugural visit to Turkey on October 30, during which he will meet with Erdoğan in Ankara.
According to a statement from Germany’s Federal Press and Information Office, the meeting will address bilateral and foreign policy issues, including cooperation on the economy, migration and security. A joint press conference is planned after the talks.
The visit follows the filing of new charges against Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed mayor of İstanbul and one of Erdoğan’s most prominent political rivals. İmamoğlu, a senior figure in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been in detention since March on corruption charges, while the new charges concern alleged “political espionage.”
German politicians have repeatedly expressed concern over his imprisonment. Lars Klingbeil, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which governs in coalition with Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), previously described İmamoğlu’s detention as “a serious attack on democracy in Turkey.”
Meyer declined to say whether Merz would raise the issue during his talks in Ankara, stating that he did not want to “prejudge the discussions.” He stressed that Turkey remains an important partner for Germany and Europe, both as a member of NATO and as a key regional actor.
Talks in Ankara are expected to cover the war in Ukraine, peace efforts in the Middle East and migration management. Turkey has served as a mediator in both conflicts and continues to play a central role in controlling migration routes to Europe.
The visit comes shortly after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with Erdoğan in Ankara, which drew criticism in the United Kingdom for its silence on Turkey’s human rights record and the ongoing imprisonment of opposition figures.
İmamoğlu’s March arrest was widely described by international observers as a decisive blow to what remained of democratic politics in Turkey, seen as part of Erdoğan’s effort to eliminate a rival who could have challenged him in the 2028 presidential election.