Political relations between Turkey and Germany.

• Author: Yeneroglu, Mustafa
• Position: COMMENTARY - Essay

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Firstly, it is important to note that reducing the political relations between "Turkey" and "Germany" solely to today's images of these two nations will provide us a limited historical reality. There have been several moments in history which prove that Turkish-German relations did not start with the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. The occupation of Konya, the then capital city of the Anatolian Seljuk State, by the German King and the Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa (I) in 1190, the 16th and 17th century "Turkish Wars" (Turkenkriege) or "Turkish trophies" (Beuteturken) are still considered strong cultural factors in Germany's historical perception of Turks. Beside the war encounters one important stage, with regard to over 200 years of Turkish-German political relations, is the year 1790. The Prussian-Ottoman alliance of this year has an important significance for it is the first agreement the German state signed with the Turks and also the first military alliance agreement the Ottomans signed with a European-Christian state.

The main reason for the tangible rapprochement between Prussia and the Ottomans at the end of the 18th century was the common perception of threat by Russia's advance towards the West and South as well as the notion that unlike England and France, Prussia/Germany did not have a colonial past that directly affected the Ottoman State. Interestingly, at a time when the German Empire was founded (1871) while the Ottoman State was losing power and land, the economic relations between the two blossomed. A profound cultural interaction started between the two states in 1880, after Bismarck sent his civil and military advisors to Istanbul and after Wilhelm II's visit in 1898, the Turkish image began to take a positive shape among German intellectuals. Thus, German foreign affairs began to deepen its cultural initiatives towards the Turkish public, leading to the appointment of at least one German officer to key positions in almost all the Ottoman state ministries after 1913.

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After World War I

At the outset of World War I, the German-Ottoman alliance, which was determined by the ruthless competition and cross balance policies within 19th century Europe, reached such a high level that German military officers gradually gained authority over some divisions of the Ottoman army. However, with the Armistice of Mudros the Ottomans had to terminate military relations with Germany. As a consequence, all German citizens were deported and Germans were no longer permitted to enter the Ottoman state. Hence, the defeat in World War I brought with it radical political changes in both the Ottoman and the German state. After the Treaty of Lausanne and the establishment of the Turkish Republic, the official diplomatic relations rekindled and on 3 March 1924 the German-Turkish Non-Aggression Pact was signed. In the later years the economic relations regained momentum with Turkey utilising the German industry for its economic progress and over time even becoming dependent on Germany.

After World War II, the western part of divided Germany began--for its economic development and with America's support--to meet its manpower need by recruiting workers from Turkey. For the sake of its own economic potential Turkey, having chosen to be part of the Western Block against Soviet Russia, itself tried to benefit from the currency and export capacity of the developing German economy. However, with the Russian threat gone and the ideological Cold War over, Turkey's strategic importance for Germany decreased. None the less, the large size of the Turkish-Muslim population in Germany began to be problematized in the light of NATO's religion/civilisation-focused new Cold War declaration.

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