Berlin – As Germany and Turkey resume their strategic dialogue after a twelve-year interruption, a key figure in the Turkish opposition warns that Ankara’s current political trajectory could jeopardize any closer partnership with Europe.
“Turkey can be an important partner for Germany and the EU, but given the current state structure, it is not yet a fully reliable strategic partner in the true sense,” explained Kaya Türkmen to Euractiv.
The former ambassador, who holds the position of shadow foreign minister within the main opposition party, the CHP, made these remarks as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Berlin for talks aimed at restoring relations between Ankara and Europe amidst growing geopolitical tensions.
Germany has shown openness to closer cooperation. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that Berlin sees an enhancement of strategic relations between the EU and Turkey as desirable.
“If Turkey wishes to draw closer to the EU, it will find in Germany a reliable partner. However, the Copenhagen criteria – democracy, rule of law, and human rights – remain prerequisites for EU membership,” emphasized Wadephul.
Strategic Necessity
For Berlin and Brussels, it is increasingly difficult to ignore the reasons justifying engagement with Ankara. Turkey remains a crucial NATO ally, a major regional power, and a central player in areas of migration, energy, and Black Sea security.
Türkmen acknowledged these realities, stating that Germany and the EU had “obvious reasons” to engage with Turkey due to the economic, security, and migration ties this country entertains with Europe.
Turkey is also “an important interlocutor on issues ranging from the Black Sea and Ukraine to the Middle East, energy, connectivity, and regional stability,” he added.
However, Türkmen argued that genuine strategic cooperation requires more than common interests.
“A strategic partnership relies on predictability, institutional trust, respect for commitments, rule of law, democratic legitimacy, and a broad alignment on the fundamental principles of foreign policy,” he stressed.
“This is where the current Turkish state appears to pose serious challenges to Germany and the EU.”
Democratic and Geopolitical Fault Lines
These remarks highlight the dilemma facing European governments, seeking to strengthen their cooperation with Ankara as concerns about democratic backsliding in Turkey continue to mount.
In March 2025, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the main CHP candidate for the presidency and mayor of Istanbul, was arrested. Prosecutors are seeking a cumulative prison sentence of 2,430 years on charges including the “formation of a criminal organization.”
Türkmen nevertheless insisted that full EU membership remained an important long-term goal for Turkey.
“A more democratic, rule-of-law-abiding, and institutionally reliable Turkey would not only be a useful partner for Germany and the EU but could become one of Europe’s most important strategic partners,” he said.
Tensions in foreign policy matters also continue to complicate relations.
While Fidan presented Turkey in Berlin as a defender of Palestinian rights in Gaza, Ankara’s close ties with Hamas – designated as a terrorist organization by the EU – remain a source of friction with European governments.
“Turkey can and should defend the rights of Palestinians, but it should not adopt a line that seems more ambiguous towards Hamas or further from the democratic and legal framework of the EU than the position taken by EU member states,” commented Türkmen.
He also expressed concerns about the increasingly close ties between Ankara and Tehran.
“The current Turkish government’s position on Hamas and its balancing act vis-à-vis Iran often give the impression that Ankara is politically closer to Tehran than Europe, even though Turkey and Iran remain both competitors and tactical partners,” he explained.
On the contrary, Ankara should conduct diplomacy with Iran “within a principled, institutional, and Europe-oriented foreign policy framework,” Türkmen argued.
