The Federal President’s first point of call was Sirkeci railway station in Istanbul, from which thousands of Turkish guest workers set off by train for Germany. Here he met the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu. Afterwards he had an appointment with people who have personal experience of Turkish-German migration. He talked to them about their lives and their attachments to Germany and the Republic of Turkey, and discussed questions of “home” and identity. The Federal President then took a boat trip with German business representatives and whilst on board discussed business relations between Germany and Turkey with them.
A visit to the DHL Express logistics centre at Istanbul airport also focused on business relations. The Federal President hosted a cultural evening and reception at Tarabya Cultural Academy to honour 100 years of German-Turkish friendship and the contributions made by people of Turkish descent to business and science, art and literature, sport and cuisine. He also held talks with civil society representatives on the state of democracy and the rule of law in the Republic of Turkey.
The special ties between the people of the Republic of Turkey and Germany were also evident in the response to the catastrophic earthquake last year. Volunteers immediately went to help, and donations for humanitarian disaster relief assistance poured in from Germany. Since then, Germany has supported reconstruction in the Turkish regions affected.
On the second day of his trip, Federal President Steinmeier travelled to Gaziantep Province, where he visited a shelter for earthquake victims and a school built with funding from Germany. There the Federal President celebrated Children’s Day with the school pupils. This is a national holiday in Turkey, which is officially celebrated each year on 23 April.
On 24 April, the Federal President met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara for political talks. The Republic of Turkey is one of Germany’s key partners in the region, in NATO and in the G20. He also visited the University of Ankara and learned more about the emigration of Germans to the Turkish republic after its foundation in 1923, a migratory episode that many people in Germany know little about. German academics, architects and engineers made important contributions to the development of the fledgling state under Kemal Atatürk. The Federal President laid a wreath at Atatürk’s mausoleum in commemoration of the founder of the Turkish state.
Overview of the programme
Monday, 22 April 2024
- Morning
Flight to Istanbul, Turkey - Lunchtime [CEST+1]
Arrival in Istanbul - Thereafter, Sirkeci railway station
Talks with Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, and tour of the station - Thereafter
Speech by the Federal President and talks on German-Turkish societal relations - Thereafter, Eminönü waterfront
Talks with representatives of German companies active in Turkey on a boat trip to the German Ambassador’s Historic Summer Residence - Evening, Tarabya, Summer Residence of the German Ambassador
Cultural evening and reception hosted by the Federal President, speech - Thereafter, Museum of Innocence
Tour of the museum with writer and Nobel Literature Prize winner Orhan Pamuk
Tuesday, 23 April 2024
- Morning
Talks on the rule of law with representatives of civil society - Thereafter, DHL Express logistics centre
Talks and tour - Lunchtime
Flight to Gaziantep - Afternoon
Arrival in Gaziantep - Thereafter, Gazikent primary school
Attendance at a Turkish Children’s Day event and talks with school social workers - Thereafter, Nurdağı
Visit an accommodation centre for earthquake victims - Evening
Flight to Ankara
Wednesday, 24 April 2024
- Early morning, Atatürk Mausoleum
Wreath-laying ceremony and inscription in the memorial book - Morning, Ankara University
Visit to the Faculty of Language, History and Geography - Thereafter, Presidential Palace
Welcome with military honours by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey, followed by talks - Thereafter
Joint press conference - Thereafter
Luncheon hosted by the President - Thereafter
Talks with Özgür Özel, leader of the Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP – Republican People’s Party) - Afternoon
Flight to Berlin
