Guests: Maximilian Popp (Spiegel), Deger Akal (DW), Dilek Kurban (Hertie School of Governance) 

Maximilian Popp, a Turkey correspondent for the weekly news magazine Spiegel. He says: "The German government should use Erdogan's state visit to strengthen democracy in Turkey."

Also with us is DW's own Deger Akal, a specialist on Turkish-German relations, formerly based in Ankara, now with DW here in Berlin.

Deger believes that Erdogan is neither friend nor a foe. "Important strategic interests force Germany to talk with the Turkish president. But not at any price!"

And a warm welcome, too, to Dilek Kurban from the Berlin-based Hertie School of Governance.

She thinks that it's high time for the German government to uphold democratic values and human rights instead of its economic, political and security interests in its dealings with the Erdogan regime.