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, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited Türkiye on 5-6 September 2018.

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. Since the second half of 2020, despite the conditions of pandemic, President Erdoğan and Chancellor Merkel held many telephone/videoconference meetings. Chancellor Merkel came to Istanbul for a farewell visit on 16 October 2021.

President Erdoğan held a bilateral meeting with President Steinmeier on 22 February 2022 in Senegal.

On 21 December 2021, President Erdoğan had a telephone conversation with the new Chancellor Scholz, who took office on 8 December 2021. Then Chancellor Scholz paid an official visit to Türkiye on March 14, 2022.

President Erdoğan had a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Scholz on 20 September 2022 in New York at the margin of the 77th UN General Assembly, subsequently on 30 June 2022 in Madrid at the margin of the NATO Summit and on 16 November 2022 at the margins of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Bali.

Following the Second Round of the Presidential Elections in Türkiye, Chancellor Scholz congratulated on 29 May 2023 President Erdoğan on his re-election.

There have been numerous meetings between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries in recent years. In this framework, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries held bilateral meetings on the margins of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting on 4 March 2022, on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York on 20 September 2022 and during the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bucharest on 30 November 2022. Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock paid her first official visit to Türkiye on 29 July 2022. Foreign Ministers of both countries came together on 21 June 2023 in London, on the margins of Ukraine Conference.

Approximately 3 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany constitutes the human dimension of our relations. They have been making significant contributions to Germany's social, political life and economic prosperity for years.