Turkey, Germany hold third strategic dialogue meeting in Berlin

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will host Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday for the third meeting of the Türkiye-Germany Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, diplomatic sources confirmed. Fidan will co-chair the meeting with Wadephul, bringing together working groups from both countries to present reports on bilateral relations, Türkiye-EU ties, security and defense, and regional issues.

The mechanism was established in May 2013 with a joint declaration signed in Berlin, aiming to bring an institutional perspective and strategic dimension to relations and support Türkiye's EU membership bid. The first meeting took place in Berlin in May 2013, and the last before the hiatus was held in 2014 in Istanbul. After an 11-year pause, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the resumption of the mechanism at a joint news conference in Ankara in October 2025.

Türkiye is Germany's second biggest trade partner, with bilateral trade currently at $52.2 billion and a target of $60 billion. Between 2005 and 2025, German investments in Türkiye reached $13.5 billion, while Turkish investments in Germany exceeded $4.7 billion. A total of 6.7 million German tourists visited Türkiye last year. The two countries are also scheduled to hold a new meeting of the Joint and Trade Commission (JETCO) and the 7th Energy Forum in June in Ankara.

On Türkiye-EU relations, Fidan will highlight the need to advance ties on a comprehensive, institutionalized, and multilayered cooperation basis, according to diplomatic sources. He will underline the importance of launching negotiations for updating the customs union and reviving the visa liberalization dialogue, and will stress that a European security strategy would be incomplete if it ignores Türkiye's strategic role, capabilities, and geopolitical position.

Regarding regional conflicts, Fidan will reiterate Türkiye's support for efforts to achieve a permanent end to the U.S.-Iran war and will highlight that a fair and lasting solution through direct talks between Russia and Ukraine is essential. He will also call for more efficient international action to ensure lasting peace and stability concerning Israel's policies in Gaza, underlining that Israel's expansionist policies are the main factor for regional instability and insecurity.