Before I came to you here in the capital, at the border with Syria I was able to appreciate the great efforts that your country is going to in order to accommodate Syrian refugees. Turkey has taken in countless neighbours in need of help without complaint. It has not only ensured that people without a home have a roof over their heads. It is providing the stranded in refugee camps with food, it is building classrooms for children and guaranteeing that those who are ill receive medical treatment. The Government is even offering the half a million displaced persons who have taken their lives into their own hands and do not live in the camps free medical care. Civic initiatives help with job and apartment hunts or organise lessons for children. This scale of solidarity should by no means be taken for granted. I would therefore like to express my sincere thanks to Government and society alike. I would like to urge Germany and the European Union to offer more support to Syria’s neighbouring countries in providing for refugees.

At the border with Syria I was also able to appreciate the NATO partners’ joint defence system. German troops are stationed here in Turkey with Patriot missiles to prevent the war from spilling over into the country. Vice versa, Germany relies on Turkey’s cooperation when it comes to preventing jihadists from entering Syria, including and especially if they come from our country. Together, Turkey, Germany and the other NATO partners are pressing for an end to the combat in Syria, for an end to the killing, to the devastation and for those responsible to be punished. Together, we are working to reach a political settlement and form an interim government which can launch the reconstruction of the country and enable the millions of refugees to return to their homes. Yet progress can only be achieved through joint action – go it alone efforts do not serve this goal and moreover stir up mistrust among allies.