Turkish PM Yıldırım meets German chancellor, Azerbaijani president

MUNICH

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) poses for a picture with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım prior to a bilateral meeting during the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb 18. / AP Photo

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has held talks with the German chancellor and Azerbaijani president in Munich on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 18. 

Yıldırım first met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Feb. 18, for a breakfast meeting in Munich. 
While the meeting was closed to the press, it lasted around 50 minutes. 

The two leaders agreed to continue dialogue and cooperation between the two countries, a statement by the press office of the Turkish prime ministry issued hours after the meeting said. 

Economics, culture, politics and military cooperation were among the many topics discussed, the statement said. 

Yıldırım expressed Turkey’s desires from Germany over the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 

Ankara wants Berlin to hand over suspected FETÖ members, including two high-profile Gülenist prosecutors, Zekeriya Öz and Celal Kara, who are currently believed to be in the country.

Along with an extradition request for Gülenists, Ankara wants Berlin to take tougher action against PKK members in Germany. 
Turkey’s European Union Minister Ömer Çelik, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Sports and Youth Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç, Defense Minister Fikri Işık and Turkey’s Berlin Ambassador Ali Kemal attended the talks. 

This meeting came two weeks after Merkel paid a visit to Ankara, where he met with Yıldırım and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

Yıldırım later met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, which was attended by Çavuşoğlu, Işık and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) head Hakan Fidan. 

The meeting lasted around one hour, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.  

The Munich Security Conference, which is an annual weekend gathering, is known for providing an open and informal platform for allies - and adversaries - to meet in close quarters.