Turkish PM expects top-level meetings between Erdoğan, Merkel

BERLIN

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on Feb. 18 said he expects top-level visits between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel “as a sign of improved relations between the two countries.”

Ties between Ankara and Berlin have been strained over a number of issues, including restrictions on Turkish government officials holding rallies in German cities last year and the detention of German citizens in Turkey.

German news agency dpa reported on Feb. 18 that Yıldırım said he thinks Erdoğan will visit Germany once a new government takes office in Berlin.

Speaking to dpa on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Yıldırım said he “expects Merkel to visit Turkey too.”

A Turkish court on Feb. 16 released Deniz Yücel, a German reporter held in pre-trial detention for more than a year. His trial is still due to go ahead on “terror” accusations but Yücel has been allowed to leave the country.