Baerbock’s inaugural visit to Turkey has become a topic of discussion. In Istanbul, the Foreign Minister quarreled with her counterpart Cavusoglu, who openly wished Angela Merkel back. There is also criticism from the Turkish community in Germany.
It was a furious performance that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) made on Friday – and one that many observers will probably remember. Especially her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, with whom she clashed violently at times.
Because not only the expected offensive in northern Syria and the imprisonment of the opposition leader Osman Kavala in Turkey provided explosive material. In the island dispute between Greece and Turkey, shreds flew between the two politicians.
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It broke for the first time after just under half an hour when Cavusoglu accused Germany of taking sides in the permanent clinch with Greece and no longer being a mediator, as Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) had been.
“To tell the truth, Germany was an honest mediator during this time. It was balanced. Germany’s policy was balanced,” he said. That is no longer the case. Baerbock had positioned himself clearly in favor of Greece in the dispute over Greek islands such as Rhodes, Kos and Lesbos.
However, the Turkish government is questioning Athens’ sovereignty over these islands and is demanding the withdrawal of all Greek troops. Baerbock was taken in by Greece’s “propaganda,” Cavusoglu claimed on Friday. In complete contrast to Merkel.
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The former chancellor acted as a mediator in the long-running clinch between Greece and Turkey and is said to have prevented the conflict from escalating two years ago. Nevertheless, her Turkey policy repeatedly caused resentment because, in the eyes of some critics, she did not show a clear edge.
The “NZZ” commented in October 2021, for example, that Merkel was ready “to overlook the increasing undermining of freedom of expression, the rule of law and democracy in Turkey” in favor of the EU refugee pact. And the Turkish journalist Can Dündar said in the “WDR”: “The Turkey policy of the Merkel era can be summed up in one sentence: Don’t annoy Erdogan.”
In any case, Baerbock called on both the Greek and Turkish governments to settle their territorial disputes peacefully – in order to prevent a split in NATO. At the same time, however, she made it clear that Germany is on Greece’s side in the Mediterranean conflict.
Baerbock also chose hard words when it came to Syria. At the press conference on Friday, Cavusoglu warned of a new offensive in the neighboring country. Ankara wants to fight there the Kurdish militia YPG, which the government regards as a terrorist organization.
Cavusoglu said it was a fight against terror and not a military operation. The Turkish foreign minister reacted particularly angrily to Baerbock’s criticism of the imprisonment of Turkish cultural promoter Osman Kavala. The Green politician emphasized that judgments by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which ordered the release, must be respected.
Cavusoglu reacted angrily and accused Germany of using and financing Kavala against Turkey. Kavala was sentenced to life in prison in April in connection with the 2013 Gezi protests. He has been in prison since 2017.
A heated meeting. And one that made it clear how much Baerbock’s foreign policy style differed from that of her predecessors Heiko Maas and Sigmar Gabriel (both SPD).
An example: when Maas visited Cavusoglu in 2018, he hugged him. At a press conference, he said that both Germany and Turkey wanted to shape mutual relations constructively. For Germany, Maas explained, Turkey is “much more than a neighbor”. Baerbock was far more direct, undiplomatic on Friday.
She wasn’t afraid to speak uncomfortable truths. Even if she offended her interlocutor. The close relationship between Turkey and Germany makes it necessary to “listen to each other, even if your ears hurt,” she said.
The question that a journalist asked at the end of the press conference therefore seemed like a summary of the entire press conference. “Can you say the air was on fire?” she demanded. The answer was obvious: Yes, she obviously did, while at the same time Baerbock was able to consolidate her reputation as a plain language foreign minister.
Incidentally, the clear words of the Greens were well received by the Turkish opposition politician Mithat Sancar. “Direct statements and confrontation are sometimes unavoidable, not just necessary,” said the co-chair of the HDP, who spoke to Baerbock on Saturday.
Cavusoglu always speaks a very clear language at such meetings. This is now the first time that his German counterpart has behaved so clearly. “That was fine.” Others are critical of the behavior of the German Foreign Minister.
“I would have liked that certain topics had been discussed diplomatically behind closed doors,” said the chairman of the Turkish community in Germany, Gökay Sofuoglu, the editorial network Germany (Sunday). “In any case, you should find other ways to talk to each other.”
