As Russian forces pounded away at Kyiv and different Ukrainian cities, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prolonged a joint name from Ankara for a right away cease-fire.
“On daily basis, each bomb drifts Russia farther from the world neighborhood,” Scholz, who arrived in Turkey on a lightning go to on Monday, mentioned at a press conference on the finish of the talks. “[Turkey and Germany] agree on the difficulty of reaching a cease-fire as quickly as attainable. Secure corridors are wanted so that folks can safely go away harmful areas.”
Whereas Scholz confused that sanctions towards Russia had a “important affect” on the Russian financial system, he fastidiously kept away from placing Turkey on the spot for not becoming a member of them. On Sunday, Turkish Overseas Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mentioned Turkey had no intention of becoming a member of sanctions towards Russia, its main associate in vitality and commerce.
Alongside Scholz, Erdogan repeated the identical line however added that Turkey had gone past what different NATO nations had executed by offering navy help to Ukraine regardless of Russia. “We have now despatched not solely despatched 50 vehicles of humanitarian help to Ukraine however navy help as properly,” Erdogan mentioned. “We’ll proceed to do what is critical.”
“We wish Ukraine to defend itself,” Scholz mentioned. “We might do this by means of humanitarian help, monetary help and navy help.”
Erdogan, who mentioned Turkey would proceed its diplomatic efforts, targeted on the frequent factors with Germany — as he had executed throughout Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ go to yesterday in Istanbul.
“As two NATO allies, Germany and Turkey have frequent opinions and considerations. We have now agreed to hurry up diplomatic efforts to finish the disaster whereas additionally taking measures to guard European safety,” he mentioned. “We’ll proceed tirelessly our efforts to deliver ahead a long-lasting cease-fire.”
Final week, Turkey brokered a gathering between the international ministers of Russia and Ukraine within the southern metropolis of Antalya. Though the talks did not deliver a couple of 24-hour cease-fire and enchancment of the humanitarian state of affairs on the bottom as desired by Ukraine, Mevlut Cavusoglu mentioned that it was optimistic that it had taken place.
Scholz, for his half, thanked Turkey each for its diplomatic efforts and for closing the Turkish straits to warships, saying this had prevented the escalation of the disaster. Ankara, which holds the gates of the Bosporus below the 1936 Montreux Conference, has not formally closed the waterways however requested all nations, no matter whether or not they have coasts on the Black Sea or not, to not ship warships by means of the straits.
Apart from the Ukrainian difficulty, the 2 leaders dived into bilateral ties, from financial cooperation to human rights, together with a recent call by Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Tv Supreme Council, to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) — together with Voice of America and Euronews — to acquire a license. DW has refused to take action, saying that the transfer was an try to limit worldwide media.
“This has come up in our talks, and we would like DW to broadcast in freedom,” Scholz mentioned, as he described human rights and the state of regulation in Turkey as an space the place the 2 sides didn’t “agree upon all the things.”
The German chancellor additionally underlined the significance of vitality cooperation between the EU and Turkey, in addition to the necessity to reactivate high-level dialogue between Turkey and the EU, whereas Erdogan spoke of the necessity to revive high-level consultations and strategic cooperation between Berlin and Ankara, with international ministers coming collectively as quickly as attainable.
Following the formation of the brand new coalition authorities of Social Democrats, Free Liberals and Greens in Germany, each Turkish and German international coverage specialists anticipated that the primary go to of the brand new authorities can be carried out by Annalena Baerbock, the international minister from the Greens Get together, after which by Scholz. The change is attributed to Scholz’s lively position within the Ukraine disaster, as he made an identical lightning go to to Israel on March 3. In response to Al-Monitor’s Ben Caspit, Scholz was the real instigator of the Ukraine-Russia mediation effort undertaken by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett final week.
Forward of the Erdogan-Scholz assembly, the German authorities’s deputy spokesman, Wolfgang Buchner, mentioned in Berlin that it was essential that Germany keep in shut coordination with Turkey, “which is a NATO associate and taking part in a terrific position [in the Ukrainian crisis].”
“We have to work collectively to achieve a cease-fire in Ukraine as quickly as attainable and to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he mentioned.
After Scholz, Erdogan hosts Polish President Andrzej Duda in Ankara on March 16.
Scholz’s go to dovetails with Erdogan’s two-hour assembly with Mitsotakis in Istanbul, the place the 2 leaders signaled the necessity to “concentrate on a political agenda” in view of the Ukrainian disaster.
“Turkey and Greece have a special responsibility within the European safety structure which has modified with Russia’s assault on Ukraine,” a press release from the Turkish Presidency’s communication directorate mentioned after the assembly.
“We face so many challenges in the intervening time — that crucial factor is to focus on what unites us slightly than on what divides us,” the Greek prime minister informed journalists after the assembly.
For Suat Kiniklioglu, a former member of the Turkish parliament and a international coverage analyst, the heavy diplomatic site visitors — each on the multilateral and bilateral fronts — is indicative of Ankara’s efforts to work itself out of the diplomacy bind as a result of its strained ties with its crucial Western companions and financial institution on the renewed concentrate on the safety dimension within the world enviornment introduced by the Ukraine disaster.
Kiniklioglu informed Al-Monitor that Turkey holds a number of aces within the Ukraine disaster. “Turkey has demonstrated its exhausting energy by offering Bayraktar drones that enabled Ukraine to counter Russia’s navy may. It additionally has proven its capability for tight-rope diplomacy by bringing collectively the 2 sides in Antalya. Add to this its position because the gatekeeper of the Bosporus below the Montreux Conference,” he informed Al-Monitor. “The Ukraine disaster has proven that Turkey’s so-called actual property worth, its geopolitical place, is essential for Western safety and protection construction.”
“This battle has put Turkey’s position ahead. This has additionally demonstrated to us that we’ve to strengthen our relationship with Turkey as each a associate and a candidate nation,” Josep Borrell, the EU excessive consultant for international and safety coverage, who attended the Ankara Diplomatic Discussion board and held a bilateral assembly with Cavusoglu, mentioned in an interview with non-public broadcaster NTV over the weekend in Antalya. “We have now to strengthen our ties with Turkey, and that’s why I’m right here.”
