Europe should forge a deeper strategic partnership with Turkey in response to emerging global challenges, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday on his first official visit to Ankara, which has played a crucial mediating role in the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Merz was speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, just days after Turkey and the United Kingdom finalized a multi-billion-dollar deal for the sale of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Germany, part of the consortium that manufactures the advanced fighter aircraft, recently lifted its longstanding objection to their export to Turkey.
