Bilateral relations developed, after the signing of a treaty of friendship and trade between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia in 1761 and later on with the appointment of the first Ottoman Ambassador. This increase of contacts were followed by an increase in the military cooperation during the reigns of Mahmud II and Abdulhamid II.

In addition to their alliance during the First World War, the two countries also cooperated in important investments such as the construction of the Istanbul-Baghdad railway.

In the aftermath of Hitler’s rise to power in Germany in 1933, Türkiye provided refuge to Germans of Jewish descent, left-wing and liberal academics and engineers, who fled their homeland. These intellectuals played an important role in the reorganization of universities and in the foundation of industrial plants and companies in Türkiye. The commercial, economic and cultural ties between Türkiye and Germany were further developed and intensified during the Cold War. Subsequently in 1961 with the signing of the Labour Recruitment Agreement between Türkiye and Germany, a great number of Turkish citizens immigrated to Germany. In 2021, the 60th Anniversary of the signing of Labour Recruitment Agreement was celebrated in Germany with events by the participation of high level politicians and officials.

Germany is one of Türkiye’s most important allies in Europe. We have multi-faceted relations, which include political, economic, military and human dimensions with a long-standing background. High-level mutual visits as well as contacts at technical levels are being held regularly.

The bilateral relations between Türkiye and Germany have experienced a problematic period, starting with the decision of the German Federal Parliament on 2 June 2016 to recognize the events of 1915 events as "genocide", followed by other negative developments. Since 2018, normalization of relations has been achieved through continued dialogue, mutual steps and high-level contacts.

Political contacts increased, especially with the state visit of President Erdoğan to Berlin on 27-29 September 2018, and before the aforementioned visit, former German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited Türkiye on 5-6 September 2018.

Former German Chancellor Merkel visited Türkiye to attend the Quadruple Summit on Syria in Istanbul in October 2019, President Erdoğan also attended the Libya Conference held in Berlin on 19 January 2020. Chancellor Merkel’s working visit to Türkiye on 24 January 2020 has brought a new dynamism to bilateral relations. Chancellor Merkel came to Istanbul for a farewell visit on 16 October 2021.

Then Chancellor Scholz paid an official visit to Türkiye on March 14, 2022. He paid his last working visit to Türkiye on 19 October 2024.

President Erdoğan paid an official visit to Germany on 17 November 2023. During his visit, our President held separate meetings with German Chancellor Scholz and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid an official visit to our country on 22-24 April 2024 upon the invitation of our President. The visit, which took place on the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, was also the first visit of H.E. Mr. Steinmeier to Türkiye as President. Within the framework of his visit, President Steinmeier attended some programs in Istanbul and Gaziantep and held official talks with our President in Ankara on 24 April 2024.

President Steinmeier paid a working visit to Türkiye on 5 February 2025. During the meetings, bilateral relations between Türkiye and Germany were discussed; views were also exchanged on Türkiye-EU relations and current regional issues, particularly Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The first meeting between President Erdoğan and Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz took place during the 6th European Political Community Summit in Tirana on 16 May 2025.

Former Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock visited Türkiye on 29 July 2022. On 2 November 2023 Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the Ministerial Conference in Berlin, titled "A larger, stronger Union – making the European Union fit for enlargement and candidate countries fit for accession", held with the participation of representatives from EU member and candidate countries, where the Foreign Minister held also a bilateral meeting with his German counterpart.

Former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock paid her last working visit to Türkiye on 20 December 2024. Furthemore, Foreign Minister Fidan and Foreign Minister Baerbock had a bilateral meeting on 14 February 2025 on the margins of the Munich Security Conference.

On 15 May 2025, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan met with the Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, on the margins of the Informal Meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Antalya.

Furthermore, there have been numerous meetings between the high-level authorities of two countries in the recent period, especially at the margins of international meetings and conferences.

Around 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany. They constitute the strong human dimension of our relations. Turkish community in Germany has been making significant contributions to social, political life and economic prosperity of the country for years.