Scholz: Dialogue with Erdogan, key in "difficult moments"

2023-11-17 21:25:32, Kosova & Bota CNA

Scholz: Dialogue with Erdogan, key in "difficult moments"

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday mentioned the importance of direct dialogue with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, taking into account their different positions on the conflict in the Middle East.

"Mr. President, it is no secret that we have very different positions on the conflict", said Scholz at the press conference, before the dinner with Erdogan.

"This is exactly why our talks are so important, especially in difficult times we need dialogue and each other."

Erdogan calls Hamas - the Palestinian organization declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - a "liberation organization", and accuses Israel of "genocide" in the Gaza Strip, as well as questioning Israel's existence.

Germany has repeatedly emphasized its unwavering support for Israel and has supported its ground and air offensive in Gaza with 2.3 million Palestinians.

"Israel's right to exist is indisputable for us. There is no place for anti-Semitism in our country, whether it is motivated by politics or religion, whether it comes from the right or the left, whether it has been growing for centuries, or whether it comes from abroad."

Scholz has also said that he opposes anyone who wants to deny the place of Muslims in Germany.

He said that the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza is depressing and he said that he wants to talk with Erdogan "how to prevent further escalation, because we share the same concern about the fire in the Middle East".

The situation in Gaza has worsened since the Israeli bombardment started on October 7.

Israel has declared war on Hamas, after the extremist group instigated the war, through attacks launched the same day on Israeli soil, killing over 1,200 people and taking over 240 hostages.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army has also launched a ground offensive in Gaza.

According to Palestinian health authorities, over 11,000 people have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks in the besieged Gaza./ REL