German Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 16 in Istanbul.
“Turkey is an important partner for us. Even if there are differences of opinion and criticism from our side, we believe that this criticism should be expressed directly”, said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.
According to him, Berlin and Ankara have “a number of international themes that unite them in view of Turkey’s geostrategic position.” In addition, Seibert stressed that migration issues will play an important role, since millions of immigrants from Turkey live in Germany.
“They are creating a ‘personal bridge’ with this country. Therefore, close, constructive and trusting interaction with Turkey is important for the German government”, said the representative of the German government.