Davutoğlu embarked for Germany

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu embarked on a five-day visit to Germany yesterday. The trip will include talks with German officials and extensive meetings with representatives of the Turkish immigrant community in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Cologne, including the families of the eight Turks killed by neo-Nazi extremists.

Davutoğlu will be received in Berlin by Christian Wulff, president of Germany, and meet with Hans-Peter Friedrich, Germany’s interior minister. He will also consult with 13 Turkish consul generals.

The minister will meet Guido Westerwelle, German foreign affairs minister, and participate in the International Conference on Afghanistan in Bonn. During their meetings, Davutoğlu and Westerwelle will exchange views on developments in Syria, Turkey’s EU accession process and Turkish-German bilateral relations, with a special emphasis on the Turkish community living in Germany.

“Davutoğlu’s visit aims to demonstrate the importance attached to the peace and security of the Turkish community of 2.8 million people living in Germany. [The visit will] express our willingness for cooperation in fighting against all forms of extremism and reiterate our wish to further improve our existing relations with Germany,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said Nov. 29.