German chancellor due in his first visit to Turkey
ANKARA
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will pay a visit to Turkey on March 14, where he will discuss bilateral ties and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to media reports.
This will be Scholz’s first visit to Ankara after coming to power in Germany in late 2021.
The talks will focus on Russia’s attack against Ukraine and how to coordinate the international community’s, particularly of NATO’s, response to it. Turkey and Germany are both NATO allies. A day before the German chancellor’s visit, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be in Istanbul. Erdoğan said he would meet with the Greek prime minister over lunch on March 13. The two leaders will discuss both bilateral ties and the Ukrainian crisis.
Thanks to its special relationship with both Ukraine and Russia, Turkey has become one of the leading actors in efforts to mediate between the two warring parties.
Turkey will host Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 10 as well. Erdoğan and Aliyev will exchange views on the developments in Ukraine and the Caucasus.
