By Jörg Blank, Zia Khan and Arne Bänsch, dpa
Berlin (dpa) – Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock leaves this Monday evening for a four-day trip to Pakistan, Greece and Turkey.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Green politician plans to hold talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and her counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
According to a Foreign Office spokeswoman, talks with civil society representatives are planned at all three stops, in addition to extensive meetings with representatives of the respective governments.
In Pakistan, Baerbock is also planning an exchange with staff of the German embassy and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), which has been working for months on the onward journey of people in particular need of protection who have fled Afghanistan.
In Islamabad, the foreign minister also wants to talk to Afghans who are currently staying there and want to continue their journey with German support.
In Greece, talks with government representatives as well as with representatives of civil society are planned for Thursday.
Among others, Baerbock wants to talk to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. A meeting with Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is also planned.
Numerous talks are also planned in Turkey. There, Baerbock wants to meet, among others, her counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu as well as representatives of civil society and also from the business community.
There are strong political tensions between Ankara and Athens. The two NATO members are arguing about natural gas, territories, migration and other issues.
Against the background of the Russian war on Ukraine, Baerbock’s visit to Turkey is also likely to be about Ankara’s veto on Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
Turkey is the only member of the alliance that is blocking the entry of the two Nordic countries. Ankara has voiced security concerns because of both countries’ alleged support for the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Kurdish militia the People’s Defence Units (YPG) in Syria.
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