After years of strained ties, Erdogan has said he wants to reset relations with Berlin during a pomp and circumstance-filled visit to Germany. But German and Turkish politicians aren't convinced it will lead to a change.
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When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comes to Berlin on Thursday for the start of his three-day state visit to Germany, he will have one goal in mind above all else — de-escalating tensions with his "German friends."
In a guest op-ed in Thursday's edition of the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Erdogan urged for Germany and Turkey to "turn over a new page" in their ties.
"It is our responsibility to rationally move our relations forward on the basis of our shared interests, quite apart from irrational fears," Erdogan wrote.
He also outlined what he believed the German government should do in order to improve ties, including designating the Gulen movement as a terrorist organization, which Ankara blames for a failed 2016 coup. The op-ed also warned against the rise of Islamophobia and right-wing extremism in Germany.
Relations between the two countries have been strained for years, with Berlin concerned about the increasingly autocratic tendencies of Erdogan's government and the arrests of German citizens in Turkey. According to the German Foreign Office, five Germans are currently political prisoners in Turkey.
German-Turkish relations have deteriorated since the failed coup against Turkish President Erdogan in 2016 and the crackdown that followed. DW looks at some of the key moments that soured ties between Berlin and Ankara.
Image: picture-alliance/POP-EYE/B. Kriemann
The Böhmermann affair
March 31, 2016: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan filed charges against German comedian and satirist Jan Böhmermann over his "defamatory poem" about the Turkish leader. German prosecutors eventually dropped the charges on October 4, 2016, but the case sparked a diplomatic row between Berlin and Ankara.
German lawmakers pass resolution to recognize 1915 Armenian Genocide
June 2, 2016: The resolution passed almost unanimously. In response, Turkey recalled its ambassador in Berlin and Germany's Turkish community held protests in several German cities. Turkey had repeatedly criticized the use of the term genocide to describe the Ottoman-era Armenian killings, arguing that the number of deaths had been inflated, and that Turkish Muslims also perished in the violence.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Gallup
Tensions following failed coup in Turkey
July 15, 2016: A faction of the Turkish military tried to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but ultimately failed. Ankara accused Berlin of not taking a clear stand against the coup attempt or not doing anything about exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen's organization, who Erdogan blames for orchestrating the failed coup.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Suna
Germany criticizes post-coup purge
Immediately following the attempted coup, Turkish authorities purged the army and judiciary, detaining thousands of people. The purge expanded to include civil servants, university officials and teachers. German politicians criticize the detentions. Turkish diplomats, academics and military members fled the country and applied for asylum in Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Suna
Kurdish rallies in Cologne
Erdogan's post-coup crackdown has also been condemned by Kurdish protesters at several mass demonstrations in the west German city of Cologne. Often the rallies have called for the release of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey considers to be a terror group. Ankara has accused Berlin of not doing enough to stop PKK activities.
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Arrest of German citizens in Turkey
February 14, 2017: Deniz Yücel, a correspondent for the "Welt" newspaper, was taken into custody in Turkey. Other German nationals, including journalist Mesale Tolu and human rights activist Peter Steudtner were detained in Turkey for what Berlin dubbed "political reasons." Turkey accused them of supporting terrorist organizations. All three have since been released pending trial.
March 2017: A number of German localities blocked Turkish ministers from holding rallies in their districts ahead of an April referendum in Turkey to enhance President Erdogan's powers. The Turkish leader then accused Germany of using "Nazi tactics" against Turkish citizens in Germany and visiting Turkish lawmakers. German leaders were not amused by the jibe, saying Erdogan had gone too far.
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Spying allegations
March 30, 2017: Germany accused Turkey of spying on hundreds of suspected Gulen supporters as well as over 200 associations and schools linked to the Gulen movement in Germany. Turkish asylum-seekers have since accused officials working in Germany's immigration authority (BAMF) of passing on their information to media outlets with ties to the Turkish government.
Image: Imago/Chromeorange/M. Schroeder
Erdogan urges German-Turks not to vote for 'enemies of Turkey'
August 18, 2017: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed three of Germany's main political parties as "enemies of Turkey" and told Turks living in Germany not to vote for them in September's general election. He singled out Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), the Social Democrats (SPD), and the Greens. Merkel said Erdogan was "meddling" in Germany's election.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/AA/M. Ali Ozcan
Merkel says Turkey should not become EU member
September 4, 2017: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during an election debate that she didn't think Turkey should become a member of the European Union and said she would speak with other EU leaders about ending Ankara's accession talks. In October, she backed a move to cut Turkey's pre-accession EU funds.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Turkey's military offensive in Afrin
January 20, 2018: The Turkish military and their Syrian rebel allies launched "Operation Olive Branch" against the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin in northern Syria. The move was criticized by German politicians and prompted large protests by Kurdish communities in Germany.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O. Kose
Journalist Deniz Yücel released from prison
February 16, 2018: Turkey ordered the release of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel after he'd been held for over a year without charge. According to Turkish state media, Yücel was released on bail from pre-trial detention. Prosecutors asked for an 18-year jail sentence for Yücel on charges of "terror propaganda" and incitement.
Image: picture-alliance/Eventpress/Stauffenberg
Özil quits
July 2018: German footballer Mesut Özil quit the national team following the fallout from his meeting with the Turkish president. Özil said he was being made a scapegoat for Germany's forgettable performance at the FIFA World Cup in Moscow because of his Turkish heritage. Erdogan praised Özil's decision and slammed the "racist" mistreatment of the footballer.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Presidential Press Service
Travel ban lifted
August 2018: A Turkish court removed the travel ban on German journalist Mesale Tolu, who was arrested last year on terrorism-related charges. But the trial against Tolu, who has since returned to Germany, is set to continue. Her husband, Suat Corlu, who is facing similar charges, has been ordered to remain in Turkey.
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Boycotting the banquet
During his state visit, which was prompted by an invitation by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Erdogan will be received with military honors on Friday in Berlin followed by a state banquet. Two meetings with Chancellor Angela Merkel are also planned. He is also scheduled to meet with Turkish groups in Germany on Thursday.
The banquet has become a political sticking point in recent days, with a number of high-ranking German politicians announcing they will boycott the dinner — though one of Erdogan's biggest critics, Green party lawmaker Cem Özdemir, has said he will attend so that the Turkish leader will be forced to face his opposition.
Among those not attending is Sevim Dagdelen of the Left party.
"For someone who conducts mafia politics in foreign policy, who pursues opposition politicians and invades neighboring countries, the red carpet with military honors and a state banquet is totally unacceptable," she told DW.
The chancellor's office confirmed on Monday that Merkel would not be at the banquet — however, she rarely attends such events.
Turkey 'too big to fail?'
For Erdogan's government, the economy is a top priority. Although the president insists Turkey is strong enough to solve its financial problems, rising inflation, unemployment and the weak Turkish Lira suggest otherwise.
"To a certain extent, Turkey is too big to fail in the eyes of German government — which is something that President Erdogan is banking on," said Kristian Brakel, Turkey expert at the Green-party-associated Heinrich Böll Foundation.
Jürgen Hardt, foreign policy spokesman for Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told DW that in order to have better economic relations, Ankara will need to address problems with rule of law and human rights.
"If Turkey hopes for an economic recovery, and if it has any expectations from Germany, the discussion should be about rule of law, not just the economy," the CDU politician said.
Turkey's runaway inflation hits real economy
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Turkish opposition critical of visit
Erdogan's critics within the opposition back home see little hope that Germany is interested in focusing on human rights in Turkey. Berlin is also concerned about maintaining a 2016 refugee deal with Turkey to stem the flow of Syrian refugees into European countries.
"Erdogan is going to Germany while crushing human rights, and under these circumstances he is being officially accepted in Germany," Garo Paylan of Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) told DW.
"This normalizes everything he is doing, and Turkey is being accepted as a country that violates human rights. The only goal of this visit is to prevent a buffer country from collapsing," he added.
Speech at Cologne mosque
Protests against Erdogan's visit have already started in major German cities, with some 10,000 people expected to take part in a rally in Berlin on Friday. More than 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany and Erdogan's policies have polarized them too, which remains a concern for the German government.
The controversial visit will end in Cologne, where Erdogan is to officially open a mosque belonging to Turkey's state-funded religious organization DITIB. This time, however, Erdogan won't be speaking at an arena filled with thousands of people as he did when he visited Germany in 2014.
He may be speaking in a smaller venue, but the media attention Erdogan will receive will be significant — something the Turkish leader will seek to use to his advantage.
"He will exploit this propaganda appearance domestically to show that he is a great celebrated statesman," Dagdelen said. "The German government has made this possible for him."
DW's Hilal Köylü contributed reporting from Ankara.
Cologne's central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
The city of Cologne boasts Germany's largest mosque, an impressive compound made of glass and concrete. It was intended as a symbol of integration, but ended up marred by controversy.
Image: DW/M. Odabasi
Inspired by a flower bud
The building was designed with glass walls and a staircase accessible from the street, symbolizing openness to people of all religions. It features two 55-meter (60-yard) minarets and a dome of glass and concrete which appears to open like a flower bud.
Image: picture-alliance/R. Hackenberg
Ehrenfeld's mix of cultures
The mosque is located in Cologne's Ehrenfeld district, a formerly a working-class quarter. Ehrenfeld suffered a rise in unemployment and poverty when factories closed in the 1970s. Some time later, however, low rent prices lured in artists, galleries and theaters, ultimately gentrifying the area. Today, 35 percent of locals there have an immigrant background.
Image: DW/M. Hussein
Impressive plans
The construction was funded by hundreds of Muslim associations, but also bank loans and donations from the Turkish government's religious affairs authority in Germany, DITIB. Cologne city council approved the plans in 2008, despite Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, the conservative Christian Democrats, voting against it.
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Architect drops out after row with Turkish association
Architect Paul Böhm, who specializes in building churches, won the contract in 2005. He saw the building as an act of integration. He later fell out with the new leadership of DITIB and stopped working on the project in 2011.
Image: AP
Doors opened in 2017
The mosque first opened for prayer during Ramadan in 2017, but was only officially opened by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Germany in September 2018.
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Room for 1,200 worshippers
Inside the mosque, there's a prayer area which takes up both the ground and the upper floor, with the two sections connected by a well in the center of the building's glass front. The compound houses an Islamic library. There are also shops and sports facilities intended to foster interactions among people of different faiths.
Image: Picture alliance/dpa/M. Becker
New skyline
Some residents were shocked by the sheer size of the construction when the plans were first presented, especially the height of the minarets, and feared a change in the skyline of their "Christian city." Then-Cardinal Joachim Meisner, the archbishop of Cologne, admitted to having "an uneasy feeling" about the project.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/H.Kaiser
Right-wing protesters oppose the mosque
Right-wing politicians picked up on the sentiment and launched a heated debate about the integration of Muslims in Germany. Author Ralph Giordano said the mosque would be "an expression of the creeping Islamization" in the country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Berg
Imams or spies?
In 2017, German authorities launched an investigation into the activities of DITIB imams, who are schooled in Turkey and paid by the Turkish state, as well as other people working in the Cologne complex. Mosque employees were suspected of spying against Turks living in Germany on behalf of the Turkish goverment.
