German-Turkish relations
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| Turkey | Germany |
Turkish-German relations have their beginnings in the times of the Ottoman Empire and have culminated in the development of strong bonds with many façades that include economic, military, cultural and social relations. With the pending accession of Turkey to the European Union, of which Germany is the biggest member, and the existence of a huge Turkish diaspora in Germany, these relations have become more and more intertwined over the decades. Turkish-German relations seem to become one of the main axis of the European Union when Turkey becomes a member of the European Union, in which case Germany and Turkey will become the two biggest members in terms of population.
[edit] Accession of Turkey to the European Union
Turkey's formal application to join the European Community —the organisation that has since developed into the European Union—was made on April 14, 1987. Turkey has been a European Union (then the European Economic Community) Associate Member since 1964. It was officially recognised as a candidate for membership on December 10, 1999 at the Helsinki summit of the European Council. Turkey started negotiations on October 3, 2005, a process that is likely to take at least a decade to complete. Germany's support to the Turkish bid has not been consistent, with former Chancellors of Germany being split over the issue: Helmut Kohl has been opposed, Gerhard Schröder has been a staunch supporter, and the current Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has been lukewarm and has at times mentioned the possibility of a "privileged relationship" with Turkey that excludes full membership.
Mehmet Ali İrtemçelik has served as Turkey's ambassador to Germany since October 16, 2003.
[edit] Turkish diaspora
With an estimated number of at least 2.1 million Turks in Germany, they form the largest ethnic minority. The vast majority are found in what used to be West Germany. Berlin, Frankfurt,Hamburg, Rhine-Ruhr (Cologne, Duisburg and Dortmund) have large Turkish communities. The state with the largest Turkish population is North Rhine-Westphalia. Though Turks predominantly live in cities, large populations exist in some rurals regions of Germany, especially in Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. The Döner kebab, a Turkish food, is the most popular fast food in Germany.
Based on good Turkish-German relations from the 19th century onwards, Germany promoted a Turkish immigration to Germany. However, large scale didn't occur until the 20th century. Germany suffered an acute labor shortage after World War II and, in 1961, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) officially invited Turkish workers to Germany to fill in this void, particularly to work in the factories that helped fuel Germany's economic miracle. The German authorities named these people Gastarbeiter (German for guest workers). Most Turks in Germany trace their ancestry to Central and Eastern Anatolia. Today, Turks are Germany's largest ethnic minority and form most of Germany's Muslim minority.
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