Europe needs Turkey’s support to reach a cease-fire in
Syria and address the crises of the region, Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Wednesday.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Palestinian Prime
Minister Rami Hamdallah in Berlin, Steinmeier stressed the
importance of close cooperation with Turkey in addressing the
current challenges in the Middle East.
"Of course, we still have some difficult discussions between our
governments," Steinmeier said, referring to strained ties between
Berlin and Ankara in the aftermath of the foiled July 15 coup.
"But we need these difficult discussions, simply because
Turkey’s role remains important. Both in relation to the Europe and
also concerning Turkey’s role in the Middle East."
Ankara has sharply criticized its European partners and Germany
for failing to show solidarity with Turkey over the coup
attempt.
European governments have raised concerns about post-coup
investigations and Ankara’s declaration of a state of emergency,
and opposition parties have called for the suspension of Turkey’s
EU accession talks.
Steinmeier said the challenges Turkey faced in a difficult
neighborhood were understandable.
He also expressed Germany’s expectation that Turkey will play a
constructive role to reach a cease-fire in Syria, stressing that
support from regional powers is key to success.
Incirlik critical for anti-Daesh coalition
Separately, the German Foreign Ministry expressed hope Wednesday
that Turkey and Iraq will soon resolve their dispute over the
presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq deployed as part of
anti-Daesh efforts.
Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told reporters in Berlin that
Turkey has been an important partner in the fight against Daesh,
and its participation in the international coalition against Daesh
has been essential.
"Without Turkey’s participation, without the allocation of
Incirlik Airbase, from where most of the German military activities
against ISIL are carried out, this fight against ISIL would have
been less successful," he said.
Schaefer said Germany is hopeful for a consensual solution to
the dispute between Ankara and Baghdad, one which takes into
account Iraq’s legitimate interest in its sovereignty and Turkey’s
interest in its security.
Ankara has long expressed a willingness to play an active role
in the ongoing Mosul offensive against Daesh, but has met with
opposition from Baghdad.
Bagdad has taken exception to Turkey’s military base in Bashiqa,
around 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Mosul, established to
provide training to Iraqi local forces to battle Daesh.
A visit of a high-level Turkish delegation to Baghdad last week
helped ease tensions between the two neighbors, and a high-level
Iraqi delegation is expected to visit Ankara next week to resolve
the dispute.