German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that Germany and Turkey are two countries that cannot do without each other and we need each other.

This came in a joint press conference on Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital, Ankara.

Steinmeier explained that relations between Germany and Turkey are based on a long and rich history, and that he is visiting Turkey coinciding with the centenary of the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

He added: “Our country does not have such intense friendly and family relations with any other country as is the case with Turkey.”

Steinmeier stated that these relations are not limited only to the two states and governments, but rather there are distinct human and popular relations.

He pointed out that about 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany since the signing of the labor agreement in 1961.

He stressed the need to restore importance and momentum in Turkish-German relations in a short time, especially in these difficult times.

Regarding the situation in Gaza, the German President said that Israel’s security cannot be guaranteed without a political perspective for the Palestinians, and this can only be achieved with a two-state solution.

Steinmeier stressed the need to reform the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country and Germany aim to increase the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries from $50 billion to $60 billion.

This came in a joint press conference on Wednesday held by President Erdogan with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Erdogan added: “We hope that Turkey and Germany will from now on talk about joint production projects in defense industries and not about obstacles.”

He continued: “We want to completely remove from our agenda the restrictions we face in the defense industries with Germany.”

He stressed that human ties contributed to strengthening existing bilateral relations between the two countries, thanking in this context the German people for standing by the Turks in the devastating earthquake disaster that struck southern Turkey on February 6, 2023.

The Turkish President pointed out that he discussed with his German counterpart bilateral relations in all their aspects and details, stressing Ankara’s desire to strengthen relations with Berlin.

He continued: “Our cooperation in the field of tourism is developing day after day. In 2023, we hosted more than 6 million German tourists, and I believe that this number will increase.”

He added: “We discussed the steps that must be taken, especially with regard to the customs union agreement and visa liberalization. We also exchanged views on regional and international developments.”

Erdogan indicated that he discussed with Steinmeier issues related to the Turkish community in Germany, and stated that they attach importance to the integration of the Turkish community there and encourage it to do so.

He stressed that Turkey considers the new German citizenship law, which makes dual citizenship possible, an important step in this context.

He added, “But on the other hand, our concerns are increasing about the anti-foreigner, anti-Islamic, far-right, and racist organizations that are rising in Germany and throughout Europe.”

He stated that during his meeting with Steinmeier, he also touched on combating terrorist organizations that disturb the peace in Germany and attack representative offices belonging to Turkey.

He continued: “We need more effective cooperation in combating these organizations that harm our alliance. We expect more support and solidarity from the German authorities in the fight against terrorism.”

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Turkey attracted direct international investments worth $240 million last February.

This was stated in the “Bulletin of International Direct Investments in Numbers” published by the International Investors Association (YASED) on Wednesday.

Investment capital flows amounted to $217 million, and real estate sales to foreign citizens amounted to $152 million.

Subtracting the downside effect of divestments worth $15 million and debt instruments worth $114 million, international direct investments flowing into Turkey in February amounted to $240 million.

Ireland ranked first in direct international investments with 18 percent, followed by Germany with 15 percent, then the UAE with 13 percent, Italy with 10 percent, and Sweden with 8 percent.

The European Union countries’ proportion of direct international investments reached 61 percent of total investments in February.

The total value of foreign direct investments in Turkey since 2002 has reached more than $264 billion.

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The Swiss newspaper Blick praised the characteristics of the Turkish electric car “TOGG” and described it as “the Turkish Tesla.”

The only nationally published newspaper in Switzerland said in a report prepared by journalist Wolfgang Gomol that the T10X TOGG car has become a Turkish landmark.

“The electric car impresses with its digital ecosystem, where AI can create radio playlists,” the report said. “But its driving and charging performance are also impressive, as our test drive showed.”

The report pointed out that TOGG was established in 2018 and that it survived the Corona pandemic period without any harm, and stressed that Turkey had made significant investments to develop this brand.

The report included praise for the TOGG car, describing it as “the Turkish Tesla.”

It pointed out that it has a large screen in the cockpit, and its own operating system has been developed, including an application store.

In addition to the praised driving characteristics, the report pointed out that the TOGG’s range reaches 468 km.

The report pointed out that when it comes to recharging, the TOGG can easily keep up with competitors such as “Skoda Eniac” or “Tesla” and in some cases even surpass them.​​​​​​​

It stated that the TOGG (T10X) cars are expected to arrive in Germany at the end of the year, but the date of their arrival in Switzerland is unclear.

It also pointed out that it is expected that one million TOGG cars will be on European roads by 2032.

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Turkey’s medical tourism revenues achieved $2.3 billion in 2023, ranking seventh globally in this field.

The Ministry of Commerce stated in a statement on Monday that the “Health in Turkey” electronic portal is the face of the Turkish brand in the medical tourism sector.

The statement explained that the Health in Turkey website includes 175 institutions operating in the medical tourism sector, with the number of requests to participate in the portal increasing day after day.

It added that Turkey ranks 7th globally in the field of medical tourism through 40 health institutions holding international certificates, which contributes positively to Turkey’s preference in the sector at the global level.

The statement stated that the countries of the Middle East, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan are at the forefront of the countries from which Turkey receives visitors for the purpose of medical tourism.

It confirmed achieving revenues of $1.9 billion from the health services sector in 2022, which rose to $2.3 billion in 2023 by receiving 1.4 million health tourists.

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The Turkish company “TOGG” strengthened its lead in electric car sales in the Turkish market during the first quarter of this year, recording sales of 4,145 vehicles.

According to data from the Turkish Automotive and Transport Distributors Association, the total market for cars and light commercial vehicles in Turkey recorded a growth of 25.2 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, reaching 295,519 cars.

Sales of “fully electric” cars increased during the first quarter by 275.9 percent, reaching 14,158, while the share of electric cars in total sales increased from 2.1 percent to 6.1 percent.

The same data showed that the rising Turkish company TOGG maintained its lead in electric car sales in the Turkish market, with sales amounting to 4,145 cars, outperforming its closest competitor by 2,533 cars.

The company’s share amounted to about 29.7 percent, or about a third of electric cars in the Turkish market.

German brands ranked in the top three after TOGG, followed by South Korean companies.

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The Turkish Foreign Ministry called on Germany to bring the attackers of its consulate building in Hanover to justice as soon as possible.

This came in a statement by the ministry on Wednesday, which confirmed that supporters of the terrorist PKK carried out an attack on the night of March 26, targeting the entrance to the consulate in Hanover, without resulting in any deaths or injuries.

The statement stressed that the Turkish side contacted German officials following the attack and assured them that “the German authorities are responsible for the safety of citizens and Turkish diplomatic missions.”

It added: “It was emphasized that activities aimed at provoking the Turkish community in Europe should not be allowed.”

The statement noted that “the activities of the terrorist PKK to destabilize Turkish society in Europe are increasing.”

It stressed that “the self-control of Turkish citizens prevented these provocations from turning into larger events.”

It added: “We expect the countries concerned not to allow the activities of supporters of the terrorist organization and to bring the attackers to justice as soon as possible.”

Last night, supporters of the terrorist PKK carried out an attack on the Turkish Consulate building in Hanover, Germany, using solid objects to break its windows before fleeing after breaking the glass of the main entrance to the Consulate.

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The German authorities opened an investigation on suspicion of an arson fire that broke out at the entrance to the courtyard of the central mosque of the Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs in the city of Wuppertal, Germany.

A statement issued by the German police on Thursday said that no one was harmed in the small fire that broke out late at night in a mosque in the city of Wuppertal.

The statement added that the fire caused minor damage to the courtyard door and wall of the mosque, and that security camera recordings related to the incident are still under examination.

The statement confirmed that the police opened an investigation into the incident on suspicion that the fire was intentional.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that the hypocrisy of Western countries that support Israel with ammunition so that it can commit its massacres has turned Gaza into the largest cemetery for children and women in the world.

This came in a speech during his participation in the “Old Friends Iftar” event in Istanbul.

President Erdogan explained that “Turkey is defending its brothers in Gaza with all its capabilities, and lies and attempts at misinformation cannot cover up this fact.”

He added, “International institutions and organizations failed again in Gaza, and we must admit that the Islamic world did not pass this test well.”

President Erdogan pointed out that “Israel is not alone. It is an equation made up of dozens of supporters behind it.”

He added, “We admire the minds and consciences of those who believe that Israel is just a country on its own. But the truth is that Israel also represents a completely different equation with the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and dozens of other supporters behind it.”

Erdogan stressed that Muslims welcomed the holy month of Ramadan this year with a heavy heart because of what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.

He added: “Gaza is witnessing one of the most horrific operations of genocide, as nearly 40,000 of our brothers were martyred, most of them children and women, 73,000 others were injured, and more than 7,000 innocent people are still languishing under the rubble.”

He continued: “Many efforts were made, and many initiatives were taken by international institutions. But all these diplomatic efforts did not have the expected effect in confronting Israel’s corruption, arrogance, and lawlessness.”

Erdogan expressed his belief that the sooner the Islamic world carries out self-criticism publicly, the better it will be for the Palestinian people and the entire Islamic nation.

He stressed that the humanitarian aid sent by Turkey to Gaza, which exceeded 40 thousand tons, will continue.

He added: “Just as Turkey embraced its neighbors during the Iran-Iraq war, and just as it did not turn its back on any of its brothers from the Caucasus and the Crimean Peninsula, today it supports its brothers in Gaza by all means.”

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The volume of international investments coming directly to Turkey last January increased by 20 percent compared to the same month of 2023 and reached $910 million.

This came in data published by the International Investors Association regarding direct investments coming into Turkey.

The data showed that direct international investments were distributed in the form of $399 million through investment capital flows, $415 million through real estate sales to foreigners, and $102 million through debt instruments.

It indicated that the volume of investments amounted to $910 million after decreasing by $6 million due to the impact of divestment.

The United States had the highest share of foreign direct investment entering Turkey at 44 percent, followed by Germany with 17 percent, and the United Kingdom 12 percent.

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