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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Turkey Monday in his first official trip to the country since he took office in December

ByThe Associated Press

March 14, 2022, 8:44 AM

2 min read

ISTANBUL -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Turkey Monday in his first official trip to the country since he took office in December.

He will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, followed by a news conference.

A Turkish presidency statement said the two leaders are expected to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war and Turkish-European Union Relations, along with bilateral relations.

NATO-member Turkey has close relations with both Russia and Ukraine and brought the two countries foreign ministers together last week for negotiations. Though those talks did not yield results, diplomatic efforts continue.

Germany and Turkey have significant trade relations, with bilateral trade 2021 rising above $41 billion in 2021. Some 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany, closely linking the two countries. But relations have been tested by Turkey's human rights record, including the jailing of German journalists and an activist, as well as Erdogan lashing out against European leaders.

Germany considers Turkey an important partner to handle the ongoing refugee and migrant crisis with people trying to reach Europe from Turkey. The German government is also aware that Turkey has an important geostrategic position as a NATO member.

In her 16 years in office, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck a delicate balance between cooperation and criticism, meeting with Erdogan numerous times. Her last visit was in October before she left office.

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Germany's Scholz to meet Turkey's Erdogan in Ankara - ABC News

Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Turkish President Erdogan had a productive meeting in Istanbul on Sunday. Credit: Press Office of Greek Prime Minister

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Sunday afternoon.

Mitsotakis first arrived in Istanbul on Sunday morning, attending church services with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at Saint George Cathedral, one of the most important churches in Orthodox Christianity.

Erdogan then hosted his Greek counterpart for lunch at his presidential residence, during which the pair discussed pressing issues of foreign policy and diplomacy for nearly two hours.

As confirmed by the Turkish Presidency, the two leaders focused much of their discussion on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has stunned Europe and the world. Both Greece and Turkey have denounced the war.

The pair agreed to reduce tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in the wake of the war in Ukraine. The goal of both leaders is to provide stability in the region at this time.

They also agreed that the two countries should work toward better communication in the future and avoid provocative rhetoric.

The neighboring countries will also aim to strengthen their economic bonds, with Turkish President Erdogan even suggesting that the two continue their conversation on the topic during another meeting in the coming months.

Video of the two leaders before their meal showed Erdogan and Mitsotakis having a friendly conversation, aided by an interpreter. Neither of the leaders wore a tie, highlighting the casual tone of the meeting.

Before the meeting, Mitsotakis stated that he had realistic and measured expectations from todays conversation, indicating that the meeting was not meant to mend the rocky relationship between the two countries, but to foster better understanding and cooperation.

Yet it seems that the meeting may have laid the groundwork for a period of better relations between the two countries which share a long and turbulent history. Rather than as enemies, the two leaders approached the conversation as allies.

Later in the afternoon, Mitsotakis will meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew yet again at the Greek consulate in the Turkish city.

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Mitsotakis and Erdogan Agree to Reduce Tensions in Istanbul - Greek Reporter

Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu pose for a photograph in Turkey on Saturday. BSS photo

Dhaka and Ankara have agreed that foreign ministries of the two countries would work together for a bilateral visit of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Bangladesh within this year.

This was revealed at a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on the side-line of Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on Saturday, a foreign ministry press release said on Sunday.

During the meeting, Momen discussed the issue of Rohingya crisis in details while Turkish foreign minister assured to continue his governments support for the forcibly displaced Rohingyas.

At the invitation of Bangladesh foreign minister Cavusoglu, informed that he would soon visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.

Momen paid a one-day official visit to Tukey on Saturday to join second Antalya Diplomacy Forum, attended by several other foreign ministers from Asian countries held in Antalya.

On the side-line, Momen also held bilateral meeting with foreign ministers of Austria and Kyrgyz Republic.

During the meeting with Austrian foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg, Momen discussed the issue of joint celebration of the golden jubilee of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In line with the last months telephone meeting between prime ministers of Bangladesh and Austria, the two foreign ministers discussed ways for further augmenting the bilateral relations.

At his meeting with Kyrgyz foreign minister Ruslan Kazakbaev Aitbaevich, Momen flagged the potential of increasing trade between the two countries.

The Bangladeshi foreign minister assured his Kyrgyz counterpart that Dhaka would be willing to work together with Kyrgyz Republic in the coming days to increase relations between the two countries in the areas of trade, connectivity and people to people contact.

Executive director of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia Kairat Sarybay also called on Bangladesh foreign minister.

During the meeting, the CICA executive director explained the recent activities of the inter-government organisation while Momen emphasised on the importance of a peaceful and stable Asia for its prosperous.

The view that the role of CICA, where Bangladesh is a member, should play an active role in this regard, the foreign minister observed.

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Erdogan to visit Bangladesh this year - newagebd.net

Turkey and Israel can work together to carry Israeli natural gas to Europe and the two countries will discuss energy cooperation during talks next month, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Friday.

The two countries expelled their ambassadors in 2018 after a bitter falling-out. Ties have remained tense since, with Ankara condemning Israel's occupation of the West Bank and its policy toward Palestinians, while Israel has called on Turkey to drop support for the militant Palestinian group Hamas which rules Gaza.

However, Turkey has been working to repair its strained ties with regional powers as part of a charm offensive launched in 2020. In an apparent easing after years of animosity, Erdogan said on Thursday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog would visit Turkey in mid-March.

"We can use Israeli natural gas in our country, and beyond using it, we can also engage in a joint effort on its passage to Europe," Erdogan told reporters on a return flight from Ukraine.

"Now, God willing, these issues will be on our agenda with Mr Herzog during their visit to Turkey," he was quoted by Turkish TV media as saying. Erdogan had visited Ukraine to discuss the crisis there.

While Erdogan has spoken to Herzog amid tensions before, the Israeli presidency is a largely ceremonial role. In November, he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the first such call in years.

Erdogan on Wednesday met Nachirvan Barzani, the president of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Asked what was discussed, Erdogan said Ankara wants to sign a natural gas supply deal with Iraq and is holding talks on this.

"We have now taken the Iraq issue on our agenda. We are now thinking about it. There may be a supply on the natural gas side from Iraq to Turkey," Erdogan said, adding Barzani had promised to facilitate talks.

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Erdogan says Turkey, Israel can cooperate on bringing gas ...

A vendor waits for customers at his stall in a street market in Istanbul, Turkey, January 4, 2022. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

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ANKARA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan repeated his unorthodox economic policy on Saturday, saying interest rates would be lowered further and inflation would fall as a result, days before inflation data for January is announced, adding Turkey's economic woes would pass.

Embroiled in a currency crisis fuelled by the central bank's move to slash rates by 500 basis points since September as part of an economic model engineered by Erdogan, Turkey saw December inflation soar to its highest level in Erdogan's 19-year rule.

A Reuters poll on Friday showed it is expected to hit a near 20-year high of 47% in January. read more

"You know of my battle with interest rates. We are lowering interest rates and we will lower them. Know that inflation will fall too then, it will fall more," Erdogan told supporters in the Black Sea province of Giresun.

"Exchange rate will stabilise and inflation will fall, prices will fall too, all of these are temporary."

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Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; editing by Jason Neely

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Erdogan says interest rates will be lowered and inflation ...