Politics
Merz hails Turkish workers’ role in building modern Germany
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday hailed the contributions of Turkish guest workers to Germany’s postwar prosperity, describing their migration as a success story that helped transform the country’s economy, culture and society over the past 65 years.
Speaking at a ceremony in Berlin marking the 65th anniversary of the German-Turkish labor recruitment agreement, Merz praised generations of Turkish workers for helping establish Germany’s industrial foundations and contributing to its continued economic and cultural development.
“Turkish guest workers helped build the industrial foundation of our country,” Merz said, referring to those who arrived following the Oct. 30, 1961, agreement. “They helped build the foundations of our nation. They created the infrastructure of the prosperity in which we live today.”
Merz said decades of interaction between the two communities had helped shape modern German society.
“Germans and Turks became modern, open-minded and tolerant through encounters with each other in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s,” he said.
He added that Germany had become culturally, economically, scientifically and even through its cuisine richer thanks to migration from Türkiye, emphasizing that the country continued to need skilled workers from abroad.
The agreement brought hundreds of thousands of Turkish workers to West Germany during its postwar economic boom. Although many initially planned to return home after a few years, a significant number remained, reunited with their families and gradually became an integral part of German society.
Merz highlighted the achievements of subsequent generations, citing prominent German-Turkish figures including footballer Ilkay Gündoğan, filmmaker Fatih Akın and BioNTech founders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, whose research in oncology and immunology has gained international recognition. He also mentioned writers Aras Ören and Deniz Utlu.
“These are just the widely known figures – the particularly spectacular success stories,” he said. “Yet there are thousands of others. They can be found in every federal state, in every sector of our society, across all political parties, within labor unions, and in employers’ associations.”
The chancellor described integration as a continuing responsibility shared by migrants and German society, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect and equal opportunities.
He said newcomers were expected to uphold Germany’s democratic principles, including gender equality and responsibility toward Jewish people. In return, those who integrate should be able to expect equal opportunities and a sense of belonging regardless of their migration background.
Merz also acknowledged that many Turkish Germans across the first, second and third generations continued to face discrimination and exclusion despite their contributions.
“Fear of the foreign is poison for every free society,” he warned, expressing concern that anti-immigrant sentiment was increasingly being exploited for political purposes.
He recalled deadly racist attacks in Mölln, Solingen and Hanau, as well as murders committed by the neo-Nazi National Socialist Underground (NSU) terrorist group, whose victims included eight people of Turkish origin.
The chancellor also condemned the term “remigration,” used by politicians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, describing it as an attack on the multicultural society built over decades.
“Behind it lies an attack on modern Germany, which we have built together over the past 65 years,” he said.
Germany’s Integration Commissioner Natalie Pawlik echoed concerns about growing racism and discrimination, warning that members of migrant communities were increasingly experiencing exclusion.
“We are seeing how people are once again openly excluded,” Pawlik said, noting that the trend was fueling fear among affected communities.
Turkish Ambassador to Germany Gökhan Turan, who also attended the ceremony, described the numerous events commemorating the anniversary as a testament to the longstanding friendship between Türkiye and Germany.
The ceremony brought together representatives of the first generation of Turkish guest workers alongside their children and grandchildren, highlighting the community’s enduring role in German society.
The landmark recruitment agreement, signed Oct. 30, 1961, was initially designed as a temporary arrangement to address labor shortages in West Germany’s rapidly expanding economy, with employment limited to two years.
The restriction was lifted in 1964, allowing workers to remain longer and facilitating family reunification.
Between 1961 and 1973, approximately 867,000 Turkish men and women traveled to West Germany under the recruitment program, finding employment primarily in the Ruhr region’s coal mines, factories and industrial production lines.
About 500,000 eventually returned to Türkiye, while others settled permanently, establishing communities that would grow through subsequent generations and family reunification.
Today, Germany is home to approximately 3 million people of Turkish origin, making them one of the country’s largest immigrant-origin communities and a significant part of its social, economic and cultural landscape.
Türkiye welcomed Libya’s unanimous approval of a maritime boundary agreement between the two countries, calling it a significant step toward strengthening bilateral relations and protecting shared interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said Tuesday.
Duran described the Libyan House of Representatives’ decision as a positive development for bilateral ties and regional cooperation.
He said the approval would help safeguard the two countries’ common rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, support the equitable delimitation of maritime boundaries and strengthen regional cooperation.
Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye will continue protecting its legitimate rights and interests under its Blue Homeland doctrine while expanding cooperation with Libya, Duran said.
He added that Ankara remains committed to promoting equitable maritime arrangements, peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Foreign Ministry also welcomed the Libyan House of Representatives’ decision.
In a statement, the ministry said the memorandum safeguards the mutual rights and interests of Türkiye and Libya in accordance with international law and the principle of equity, while contributing to deeper bilateral cooperation.
Türkiye reaffirmed its commitment to working with all regional partners to promote security, stability and peace across the Mediterranean basin, emphasizing its continued respect for international law.
The agreement, signed in November 2019 between Türkiye and Libya’s then-U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord, established maritime boundaries between the two countries. It was registered with the United Nations in October 2020 but faced opposition from Libya’s eastern-based parliament, which had previously rejected the deal.
Tuesday’s vote also overturned two resolutions adopted in 2020 that rejected agreements with Türkiye and called for severing political ties with Ankara.
A 2019 agreement between Türkiye and Libya on maritime borders was approved by the Libyan Parliament on Tuesday. The Parliament revoked a 2020 boycott decision in the North African country, where opposing powers were courted by Ankara, which initially sided solely with one side.
Libya’s House of Representatives announced that it unanimously approved the agreement, reversing its previous rejection of the deal and a decision to sever political ties with Ankara, according to a statement from the Libyan Parliament.
The Parliament also repealed Resolution No. 1 of 2020, which rejected the ratification of two memorandums of understanding signed between Libya and Türkiye. Lawmakers additionally voted unanimously to overturn Resolution No. 6 of 2020, which called for severing political relations with Ankara, the statement said.
The agreement confirms Türkiye’s maritime jurisdiction across the vast Mediterranean and will likely anger Greece, which competes with Türkiye for economic benefits and more maritime rights. The agreement also cements Türkiye’s clout in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Greek Cypriots, Greece and Israel recently stepped up cooperation. The deal was registered by the U.N. in October 2020, but the disagreement between Tobruk-based and Tripoli-based powers prevented the implementation of the delimitation deal. Greece has lobbied Khalifa Haftar against the agreement, claiming that it would infringe its own rights in the Mediterranean maritime zone.
The deal includes provisions for Turkish hydrocarbon exploration within Libya’s territorial waters. In 2022, the two countries signed a hydrocarbon memorandum of understanding, paving the way for Turkish companies to conduct seismic surveys and drilling operations. The agreement took a new turn on June 25, 2025, when the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) signed a memorandum of understanding with Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) for a 2D seismic survey in the Libyan waters. Under the memorandum, the TPAO will conduct surveys in four offshore blocks off the Libyan coast, over an area covering 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles). The data collected during the surveys will be processed within nine months.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate phone calls Tuesday with Libya’s Government of National Unity Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and eastern-based Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar following the Libyan parliament’s approval of a landmark maritime boundary agreement with Türkiye.
According to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, Fidan thanked Dbeibah and Haftar for the adoption by Libya’s House of Representatives of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas between Türkiye and Libya.
Libya’s House of Representatives approved the maritime jurisdiction agreement with Türkiye on Tuesday, reversing its previous rejection of the deal.
Türkiye and Libya signed the delimitation agreement in November 2019, establishing the boundaries of their respective maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean Sea.
The agreement confirms Türkiye’s maritime jurisdiction across the vast Mediterranean and will likely anger Greece, which competes with Türkiye for economic benefits and more maritime rights. The agreement also cements Türkiye’s clout in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Greek Cypriots, Greece and Israel recently stepped up cooperation. The deal was registered by the U.N. in October 2020, but the disagreement between Tobruk-based and Tripoli-based powers prevented the implementation of the delimitation deal. Greece has lobbied Khalifa Haftar against the agreement, claiming that it would infringe its own rights in the Mediterranean maritime zone.
The deal includes provisions for Turkish hydrocarbon exploration within Libya’s territorial waters. In 2022, the two countries signed a hydrocarbon memorandum of understanding, paving the way for Turkish companies to conduct seismic surveys and drilling operations. The agreement took a new turn on June 25, 2025, when the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) signed a memorandum of understanding with Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) for a 2D seismic survey in the Libyan waters. Under the memorandum, the TPAO will conduct surveys in four offshore blocks off the Libyan coast, over an area covering 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles). The data collected during the surveys will be processed within nine months.
Meanwhile, Fidan on Tuesday also addressed participants and took questions at the European Policy Centre, a Brussels-based think tank, diplomatic sources said.
Fidan spoke at the center during his visit to Brussels for the fourth meeting of the Turkish and Belgian foreign, justice, and interior ministers, the sources added.
Belgium emphasized Türkiye’s strategic importance to European security Tuesday as senior ministers from both countries met in Brussels, reviving high-level bilateral dialogue after a decadelong hiatus.
Seven Belgian and Turkish ministers gathered at Egmont Palace to strengthen cooperation on security, justice, migration and economic relations.
The Turkish delegation included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek and Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, while Belgium was represented by Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot and senior ministers responsible for justice, security and migration.
The Belgian Foreign Ministry described Türkiye as a crucial strategic partner, citing its NATO membership, role in Black Sea security and diplomatic engagement with both Russia and Ukraine.
“You cannot seriously discuss European security without engaging with Türkiye,” Prevot said, highlighting Ankara’s influence in regions vital to European stability.
He also pointed to Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, particularly Gaza and Syria, as well as the Horn of Africa.
Security cooperation
Counterterrorism and organized crime dominated discussions, with both sides working toward a bilateral police cooperation action plan aimed at strengthening coordination between law enforcement agencies.
The proposed agreement would facilitate faster intelligence-sharing, joint training and exchanges of expertise to tackle cross-border criminal networks.
Belgian Security and Home Affairs Minister Bernard Quintin stressed that closer cooperation was essential as organized crime increasingly operated across national borders.
The ministers also discussed strengthening judicial cooperation while maintaining respect for the rule of law and fundamental legal safeguards.
Migration, economic ties
Migration management emerged as another priority, with officials exploring closer coordination on migration policies and consular affairs.
Belgian Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt described Türkiye as an important partner for Belgium and the European Union, emphasizing that effective migration management required cooperation beyond EU borders.
Beyond security and migration, Belgium expressed interest in expanding bilateral ties in defense, energy, industry, innovation and trade.
The talks marked the resumption of a high-level diplomatic mechanism that had remained inactive for 10 years, underscoring both countries’ efforts to deepen cooperation amid evolving European and regional security challenges.
Cemalettin Kani Torun, Türkiye’s former ambassador to Somalia who once served as a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), rejoined it on Tuesday. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented Torun with a party badge at a ceremony on the sidelines of a meeting of the party’s Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK).
Torun resigned from the New Path bloc in Parliament in August and has been independent since. The AK Party now has 281 seats in Parliament. The party won 268 seats at the 2023 legislative elections and since then, transferred lawmakers from the opposition, including three in August.
AK Party has also attracted mayors from the opposition parties in the past two years. Dozens of mayors joined the party in that period. The most recent high-profile transfer was Cemil Tugay, mayor of Türkiye’s third-largest city, Izmir, which has long been a stronghold of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Tufan Erhürman pledged Monday to pursue diplomacy and dialogue to strengthen mutual trust, advance efforts toward a settlement of the Cyprus dispute and end the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
Erhürman’s remarks followed a response from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to a letter he sent Aug. 28, raising concerns over Greek Cypriot efforts to cancel festivals and activities organized by a Barcelona soccer school, as well as attempts to obstruct contacts with foreign diplomats.
According to Erhürman, Guterres said in his Oct. 16 response that he had carefully noted the concerns and described the reported actions as discouraging and inconsistent with efforts to build mutual trust between the two communities.
Erhürman welcomed the U.N. chief’s position, saying it reinforced the Turkish Cypriot side’s longstanding concerns over measures that undermine confidence-building efforts.
“It is important to us that the secretary-general shares the view we have repeatedly expressed,” Erhürman noted.
He emphasized that implementing confidence-building measures remained a key priority, with the aim of creating favorable conditions for renewed negotiations toward a lasting settlement on the divided island.
Erhürman also expressed hope that Guterres’ letter would guide international actors in assessing actions that contributed to the isolation of Turkish Cypriots and undermined trust between the two sides.
He said that such measures contradicted international efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation on the island.
“We will continue working tirelessly through diplomacy and dialogue to build trust, pursue a solution and ensure our people can engage with the world,” Erhürman emphasized.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
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