Is it true that Germany and Türkiye are at loggerheads?

According to reports on September 4, German Chancellor Merkel said on the 3rd that Turkey should not become a member of the EU and that she would seek a consistent EU position on this matter with leaders of other countries.

According to reports, Merkel said in a televised debate with her main challenger, Social Democratic Party leader Schulz: "The facts are clear, Turkey should not become a member of the European Union." Schulz had already said during the debate First, he said that if he was elected prime minister, he would prevent Turkey from joining the EU.

Merkel said: "In addition, I will talk to the leaders of other EU countries to see if we can reach a common position on this issue in order to terminate Turkey's negotiations to join the EU."

Reports indicate that Merkel’s remarks may worsen the sluggish relations between Germany and Turkey, both members of NATO. Türkiye has yet to react on the matter.

Turkey has always wanted to join the EU, and Germany has the toughest speaking qualifications in the EU, so Turkey has always wanted to join the EU through Germany. There are also many disputes.

When Merkel was the leader of the opposition party, her attitude towards Turkey was very loud. But now that she has come to power as prime minister, the raindrops have fallen less, and her voice on the Turkish issue has become much softer. During this visit to Türkiye, she no longer took an aggressive stance in resisting Türkiye's entry into the EU. On the contrary, Merkel proposed the benefits that Türkiye would bring by moving closer to the EU.

Although Merkel will not emphasize that Turkey is an indispensable factor in maintaining peace and stability in Europe like her colleague Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, she has publicly stated that Turkey is playing a vital role in maintaining peace and stability in Europe. Europe will receive strong support from Germany as it moves closer.

It is not easy for Merkel to make a clear stance on Turkey. She is the chairperson of the CDU. The Christian Democratic Union is a party that has always been critical when it comes to Türkiye for various reasons. Many politicians in the Christian Democratic Union have repeatedly proposed that negotiations with Turkey on EU accession should be stopped. However, at the same time, Merkel was still the German Federal Chancellor. In this case, she had to get rid of partisan opinions and treat the Turkish issue from a national perspective. This includes integrating Türkiye into the European Union's diplomatic and security system. In particular, Merkel is currently seeking Turkey's help to conduct cultural and religious dialogue to solve the problem of the difficulty of integrating millions of Turkish immigrants in Germany into German society.