Wadephul strongly backed Türkiye’s role in regional crisis diplomacy, describing Ankara as a country with significant political and strategic influence across multiple conflict zones.
“Türkiye has the potential to exert considerable influence on these trouble spots, not only because of its geographical proximity, but also because of its enormous political and economic significance,” he told reporters.
The German minister also voiced support for deeper strategic ties between Türkiye and the European Union, saying Berlin wanted Ankara to play a greater role in Europe’s evolving defence and industrial frameworks.
“If Türkiye wishes to join the European Union, it will find a friendly and reliable partner in Germany,” Wadephul said, while noting that EU membership still depends on meeting the bloc’s accession criteria.
The two ministers met in Berlin to co-chair the third session of the Germany-Türkiye Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, aimed at expanding cooperation between the two NATO allies on security, diplomacy and trade.
Fidan also called for Türkiye’s EU bid to be assessed on merit rather than politics and said Ankara and Berlin were working towards increasing bilateral trade to $60 billion.
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