Erdogan hosts German state premier Hendrik Wuest in Ankara for 50-minute meeting

Rare presidential reception in Ankara

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted North Rhine-Westphalia Premier Hendrik Wuest at the presidential palace in Ankara on Monday for a 50-minute meeting. The audience departed from standard protocol, as Turkish presidents typically receive heads of state, prime ministers, or federal chancellors rather than regional leaders. Delegation officials stated that Erdogan had never previously hosted a German state premier during his presidency, though Lower Saxony Premier Stephan Weil met him in 2014 when Erdogan served as prime minister alongside then-President Abdullah Gül. The meeting occurred on the first day of Wuest's three-day official visit to Turkey, marking the first time an incumbent premier from North Rhine-Westphalia has visited the country.

Talks span trade, visas, and domestic politics

The conversation in Ankara addressed economic ties, strategic cooperation, and political developments in both nations. Wuest supported Turkey's long-standing push to reform and modernize its customs union with the European Union, while noting that existing agreements must be implemented and legal certainty guaranteed. The leaders also discussed Turkey's role as a NATO partner, European Union relations, defense cooperation, and measures to streamline business visa applications for Turkish entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the discussion covered the political landscape in Germany following recent state elections.

He is very interested in the domestic political situation and also in the question of what election results there have been recently in Germany.

Discussions around federal leadership in Berlin

The diplomatic encounter takes place against a backdrop of political turbulence in Berlin, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces low approval ratings and internal party pressure. The Christian Democratic Union suffered defeats in three consecutive regional elections, with the Alternative for Germany winning state votes in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Wuest, who governs North Rhine-Westphalia in a coalition with the Greens, has been discussed in party circles as a prospective future federal leader. Discussions had previously surfaced after his May trip to Poland and the Auschwitz memorial, though Wuest reaffirmed on public television before departing for Ankara that he intends to remain state premier.

Commemorating sixty-five years of migration

The central occasion for Wuest's visit is the 65th anniversary of the 1961 German-Turkish recruitment treaty, which brought hundreds of thousands of Turkish workers to West Germany. During a stop at a Henkel manufacturing plant in Ankara, Wuest paid tribute to the contribution of Turkish guest workers to postwar German industry, citing their employment in coal mines, steel mills, road construction, and the Ford plant in Cologne. Around three million people of Turkish descent live in Germany, with approximately one million residing in North Rhine-Westphalia, where over 1,200 Turkish companies operate.

Without these people, it would not have been possible to achieve economic recovery after the war.

Dialogue and human rights concerns

Following the palace talks, the state chancellery in Düsseldorf stated that North Rhine-Westphalia monitors domestic political developments in Turkey with concern, referencing German foreign ministry assessments regarding rule of law and media freedom. The statement emphasized that diverging viewpoints do not preclude collaboration on shared interests or open dialogue. Wuest stressed that the large diaspora in North Rhine-Westphalia serves as a cultural and economic bridge between the two regions, while calling for closer economic integration and resilient supply chains.