Erdoğan Receives Wüst on First Türkiye Visit by a German State Premier
A last-minute presidential reception gave Hendrik Wüst’s three-day Türkiye visit added political weight as the NRW premier pressed for customs union reform and easier business visas.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Hendrik Wüst in Ankara on Monday, granting an unusual presidential audience to a German state leader making the first visit to Türkiye by a sitting North Rhine-Westphalia premier.
The meeting at the Presidential Complex was confirmed only on Monday.
It departed from the usual diplomatic practice under which German state premiers do not routinely receive audiences with heads of state, according to Die Welt.
The late addition gave greater political prominence to a three-day trip centered on commercial ties and the legacy of Turkish migration to Germany.
Wüst’s delegation identified economic cooperation, bilateral links and current political issues as subjects for discussion.
A Visit With Political Weight
Wüst, 51, has governed Germany’s most populous state since 2021.
A senior Christian Democrat, he is frequently mentioned as a possible replacement for Chancellor Friedrich Merz as tensions within the governing party feed speculation about its leadership.
He has pushed back against that discussion. Speaking to ZDF before leaving for Türkiye, Wüst said: “I want to remain premier of North Rhine-Westphalia.”
The Erdoğan reception nevertheless placed him on an international stage at a politically sensitive moment in Germany.
It also brought a presidential dimension to a visit originally organized around two anniversaries: 65 years since the German-Turkish labor recruitment agreement and 80 years since NRW’s establishment.
Economic Ties Drive the Agenda
The relationship has substantial commercial and social foundations. Around one million NRW residents have Turkish roots, accounting for roughly a third of Germany’s Turkish-origin population.
More than 1,200 Turkish companies operate in the state. Annual bilateral trade amounts to €10 billion to €12 billion, approximately 20% of commerce between Germany and Türkiye.
Wüst arrived with a delegation of about 60, including business representatives and more than 30 journalists.
His itinerary combined political meetings with industrial visits and discussions with Turkish executives.
The premier has made reform of the EU–Türkiye customs union a central demand.
In an interview with Hürriyet and Anadolu Agency, he called modernization overdue and described it as “a great opportunity.”
The existing framework largely covers industrial products, leaving services, public procurement and most agricultural commerce outside its scope.
Negotiations on an upgrade have remained stalled in recent years.
Visas and Further Talks
Wüst also called for faster, simpler visa processing, particularly for business travelers.
He argued that delays imposed economic costs on NRW and encouraged applicants to seek access through other Schengen countries, including Belgium.
On Turkish EU membership, he pointed to the Copenhagen criteria covering democracy, human rights and the rule of law, without setting out a timetable.
The visit continues with further political discussions in Ankara before the delegation travels to Istanbul for a business conference.
Wüst is also scheduled to present former German national football captain Ilkay Gündoğan with NRW’s Mevlüde-Genç Medal for tolerance and intercultural reconciliation.
Ahmet Koçak
Ahmet Koçak is a news editor at Clash Report based in Istanbul. He previously served as Deputy Managing Editor at Türkiye Today, helping launch the digital news platform in 2023, and spent three years as Senior Editor at Daily Sabah. His work focuses on breaking news, geopolitics, international affairs, and digital journalism.
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