The European press devoted extensive space to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as part of his visit to the capital, Berlin.
On Friday, President Erdogan made a one-day working visit to Berlin, during which he met with Steinmeier and Scholz.
The German newspaper “Bild” published an analytical article under the title “Erdogan is playing a game of carrot and stick with Scholz.”
The newspaper said in it, “Erdogan accused Israel of destroying Gaza, killing 13,000 Palestinians, and bombing places of worship, churches, and hospitals.”
It pointed out that “Erdogan was a mediator between Russia and Ukraine in the grain corridor.”
It stressed that “the Turkish President has always publicly opposed anti-Semitism,” and that “he does not owe Israel a debt regarding the Holocaust (the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews).”
During a press conference with Scholz, Erdogan indicated that he was speaking “with ease because Turkey is not indebted to Israel.”
He said, “If we were in debt, we would not be able to speak so comfortably, but those who are in debt cannot speak comfortably.”
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Erdogan stressed that he “took a stance against anti-Semitism when he was prime minister when no prime minister in the world had taken it, so he is not beholden to anyone.”
The second German television, “Bloody ZDF,” broadcast a news item entitled: “Partly very different viewpoints,” in which it pointed out that “differences in opinion regarding the Middle East appeared in the press conference between Scholz and Erdogan.”
For its part, Radio France Internationale (RFI) said in its news headline, “Erdogan’s tense visit to Berlin: Germany and Turkey need each other,” that “Turkey is an important ally.”
French radio pointed out that “Western powers have assigned a role to Turkey in order to prevent the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.”
As for the French newspaper Le Figaro, it covered the joint press conference between Erdogan and Schulz with the title: “Erdogan said he is a leader fighting anti-Semitism in Berlin.”
The Dutch newspaper “The Telegraph” noted that “Erdogan strongly criticized Israel during his visit to Berlin.”
It is worth noting that Erdogan said that “Israel has so far killed 13,000 Palestinians, most of them children, women and the elderly, and destroyed everything there, and almost no place called Gaza remains as a result of its attacks.”
While the British Broadcasting Corporation “BBC” published a news item that included Erdogan’s statement during his visit to Berlin, in which he said, “Germany must work with Turkey to ensure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.”
