Merz: Workers from Türkiye helped build Germany and laid the foundation of its prosperity

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke at a ceremony in Berlin marking the 65th anniversary of the Germany-Türkiye labor agreement. Merz said workers who came from Türkiye 65 years ago built Germany together, shaped the country and created the foundation of the prosperity enjoyed today.

Guest workers became citizens, friends, family, colleagues and neighbors. We thank them for this.

Friedrich Merz

Living conditions of the first generation

Merz recalled that the first generation's daily life consisted of working and sleeping. He described workers living in factory-side worker colonies and dormitories, with multi-bed rooms and shared kitchens. He said they thought they would return home after two years.

Saying that about half of the workers who came between 1961 and 1973 returned home while the other half settled in Germany, Merz said the Ruhr region would not have become so wealthy without the first generation. In his speech he named Fatih Akın, İlkay Gündoğan, Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci as examples of success.

Warning on xenophobia

Merz said xenophobia is rising in Germany and that the children and grandchildren of the first generation are still treated as foreigners. Criticizing the concept of "remigration", he argued it amounts to an attack on the modern Germany built together. He pointed to the Mölln and Solingen attacks, the NSU murders and the Hanau attack, noting that eight people of Turkish origin were among the NSU's victims.

Türkiye's Ambassador to Berlin Gökhan Turan, also speaking at the ceremony, said the children of people of Turkish origin now have a voice in many fields from politics to economy, art to science. Noting that relations should be developed, Turan stressed the importance of Germany's support, particularly on visa liberalization.