On both sides of the battle line

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Germany for the first time since his re-election, but the trip will not be easy due to the big differences between Ankara and Berlin.

Thủ tướng Đức Olaf Scholz và Tổng thống Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ Recep Tayyip Erdogan gặp nhau trong khuôn khổ Hội nghị thượng đỉnh G20 tại Bali, Indonesia ngày 16/11/2022. (Nguồn: Reuters)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meet during the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia on November 16, 2022. (Source: Reuters)

Türkiye has long been at odds with the West because Ankara believes that the US and many European countries support cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is believed to be behind the failed coup in 2016 to overthrow Mr. Erdogan.

However, the main issue that the two sides wanted to discuss this time in Berlin was the Israel-Hamas conflict, which showed the huge difference between Türkiye and Germany, which the press described as "on opposite sides of the front line".

With Germany, Berlin affirmed its stance of “standing with Israel”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supported Israel’s “right to self-defense”, declaring that it would assist whenever necessary. In Germany’s eyes, Hamas is a terrorist organization that needs to be stopped.

Meanwhile, Mr. Erdogan believes that the main culprit behind the ongoing massacres in Gaza is the West because of its support for Israel's retaliation against Hamas, saying that Israel's attacks "have exceeded the limits of self-defense." Unlike Germany, Turkey considers Hamas a political party that won the Palestinian elections.

However, the two sides also have commonalities that can be shared. Mr. Erdogan is a leading advocate of Palestinian rights and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a view that is also shared by Berlin.

More importantly, in the context of the prevailing gun mentality, Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Scholz both support a temporary halt to fighting in the Gaza Strip to pave the way for humanitarian aid. Berlin also supports Ankara's mediation role in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Hopefully, Mr. Erdogan's visit will not only "clarify many things" about Berlin's stance but also help the two sides cooperate to cool down the Middle East hotspot.

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