Turkish PM Yıldırım to meet German Chancellor Merkel

BERLIN-ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet in Berlin on Feb. 14, the German government’s spokesman said on Feb. 12.

“The prime ministers will exchange views on bilateral relations and international issues,” Steffen Seibert, the spokesman, said in a statement, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.

The Turkish premier is also scheduled to attend the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 16 and 17.

Ties between Turkey and Germany have strained in recent years, as Turkish politicians blasted their German counterparts for not taking serious measures against outlawed groups and organizations Turkey deems terrorist, such as the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The arrest of around a dozen German citizens in Turkey, including a reporter, a translator, and a human rights activist, has also been a source of friction between Ankara and Berlin.