On both sides of the battle line

Visiting Germany for the first time since his re-election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have a difficult trip due to the big differences between Ankara and Berlin.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meet during the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia on November 16, 2022. (Source: Reuters)

Türkiye has long been at odds with the West because Ankara believes that the US and many European countries support cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is believed to be behind the failed coup in 2016 to overthrow Mr. Erdogan.

Moreover, the main issue that the two sides wanted to discuss this time in Berlin was the Israel-Hamas conflict, which showed the huge difference between Türkiye and Germany, which the press described as "two sides of the front line".

With Germany, Berlin affirmed its stance of “standing with Israel”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supported Israel’s “right to self-defense”, declaring that it would assist whenever necessary. In Germany’s eyes, Hamas is a terrorist organization that needs to be stopped.

Meanwhile, Mr. Erdogan believes that the main culprit behind the ongoing massacres in Gaza is the West because of its support for Israel's retaliation against Hamas, saying that Israel's attacks "have gone beyond the limits of self-defense." Unlike Germany, Turkey considers Hamas a political party that won the Palestinian elections.

But the two sides also share common ground. Erdogan is a leading advocate of Palestinian rights and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a view shared by Berlin.

More importantly, in a context where gun-toting thinking prevails, Erdogan and Scholz both support a temporary halt to fighting in the Gaza Strip to allow humanitarian aid to flow in. Berlin also supports Ankara’s mediation role in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Hopefully, Mr. Erdogan's trip will not only "clarify many things" about Berlin's stance but also help the two sides cooperate to cool down the Middle East hotspot.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tho-nhi-ky-duc-ben-hai-bo-chien-tuyen-250230.html