Türkiye, Germany to revive strategic dialogue mechanism after 12 years
Serkan Demirtaş - ANKARA
Türkiye and Germany will revive a strategic dialogue mechanism after 12 years, in a clear sign of recent advance in the bilateral relations, during which strategic issues, security and defense will be addressed to be followed with other key meetings in the coming period. According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be in Berlin on May 18 to re-launch the strategic dialogue mechanism with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul. Founded in 2013 and held its latest meeting in 2014 for adding institutional perspective and strategic dimension to the Turkish-German bonds, the Strategic Dialogue Mechanism had to be suspended due to deteriorated ties between Ankara and Berlin in the last decade. The decision for the revival of the mechanism was given and announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during their meeting in late 2025 in the Turkish capital Ankara. Under the mechanism, working groups specialized on bilateral ties, Türkiye-EU relations, defense and security as well as regional issues will hold separate meetings will submit their reports to Fidan and Wadephul, sources stressed. According to the sources, Fidan, in his meetings with Wadephul and other officials, will underline the importance of the continued engagement under the strategic dialogue mechanism for further deepening ties in all possible fields with a strategic outlook. Cooperation in defense and security will be an important item of the agenda in Berlin especially after Germany greenlighted Türkiye’s purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Fidan and Wadephul will exchange views on ways to further strengthen cooperation in defense industry production while Ankara believes that holding the fifth Turkish-German Defense Industry Cooperation meeting in 2026 will bring about fresh impetus to the efforts to this end.
