Steffen Seibert

Germany wants to see good neighborly relations between Greece and Turkey, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said on Oct. 27.

"Good neighborly relations between Greece and Turkey are important, and they are beneficial, not only for the two countries, but also for all of Europe," Steffen Seibert told a regular press conference in Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Turkey on Oct. 16 for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before leaving office after 16 years in power.

Merkel on arrived at the Huber Mansion in Istanbul to meet with Erdoğan.

Merkel and Erdoğan boarded a golf cart and visited the beach area of the mansion.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Turkey on Oct. 16 to discuss bilateral relations and international issues, her spokesman said on Oct. 8.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Steffen Seibert said Merkel will visit Istanbul for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Afghanistan, Belarus and Ukraine will be the focus of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Moscow on Friday, August 20, Germany's Government Spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Wednesday.

"It will definitely be about major international issues: the conflict in eastern Ukraine, for which Russia can do more than it is doing, and Belarus," he said.

"The federal government has taken note of this report and is in contact with relevant national and international actors for clarification," spokesman Steffen Seibert said, but declined to comment further on the allegations of espionage.

Relations with the EU could be severed if Brussels imposes sanctions that are risky for sensitive spheres of the economy, Lavrov stated. "Our starting point is that we are ready for that step in case we notice, as we have seen on several occasions before, that sanctions are being prepared that would create a risk for our economy," he pointed out.

According to Merkel, freedom of speech and opinion are the most important human rights.
"This right can be limited, but only in accordance with the law and within the framework defined by the legislators, and not by the decisions of the management of social networks", Merkel concluded.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on March 2 called for a "protected zone" in northwestern Syria for hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing the attacks of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Speaking at a news conference in the capital Berlin, Merkel expressed grave concern over escalating tensions in Idlib, a northwestern Syrian province, just across the Turkish border.

Following criticism by Amnesty International and other human rights groups, the government on Friday continued to defend its plan for a floating barrier in the Aegean to curb an increased influx of migrants from Turkey as the European Commission and Germany appeared to distance themselves from the scheme.

The German government has only heard from reports of the Greek government's plans for a floating fence to secure its maritime borders against migration and does not wish to make any comment, German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Friday.

Seibert pointed to a statement by the European Commission on this issue, noting that it came under its purview.