The 8th Meeting of the Türkiye–Germany Interministerial Joint Working Group was Held

Prof. Dr. Vedat Işıkhan, Minister of Labour and Social Security of Türkiye, and Bärbel Bas, German Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, attended the 8th Meeting of the Türkiye–Germany Interministerial Joint Working Group held at the Reşat Moralı Meeting Hall of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. Within the scope of the meeting, two separate agreements were signed.

Following his bilateral meeting with Bärbel Bas, German Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Vedat Işıkhan delivered the opening speech of the inter-delegation meeting. Emphasizing the unique nature of the relations and cooperation between the two countries, Minister Işıkhan stated: “The relations between our ministries dating back to the 1960s have today evolved into a comprehensive strategic partnership. Our ‘Joint Working Group,’ which gained an institutional identity through the ‘Joint Declaration of Intent’ established in 1984 and signed in 2007, holds an important place in our relations. Our technical teams completed months of preparations for the Joint Working Group meeting, which serves as an important platform for discussing current issues while also preserving and transmitting institutional memory to future generations. We are gathered here today to share with you the pleasure of inaugurating this meeting alongside the Honorable Minister Bas”. 

Our Cooperation Will Become More Effective

Emphasizing that he sincerely believes the contacts held will make cooperation in the field of labor and social policy more effective, Vedat Işıkhan continued as follows: "As the Ministers of the two countries, we are strongly committed to jointly developing policies that will provide the greatest benefit to our citizens. Over the next two days, we will address major issues of our time such as skilled labor, fair supply chains, fight against child labor, and artificial intelligence applications in the field of social security. I believe that the Joint Declaration of Intent will provide a much more concrete basis for the cooperation we will pursue in the coming period. Furthermore, through the protocol to be signed between our Social Security Institution and the German Social Accident Insurance, we will also strengthen the legal framework for the next five-year period in this field.

“As Ministers, we will also closely monitor the outcomes of these discussions to be carried out by our technical delegations,” he said.

Stating that the strongest dimension of relations with Germany is formed by the Turkish community, whose population has reached three and a half million, Vedat Işıkhan stated, “Turkish labor migration, which began exactly 65 years ago with the signing of the Labor Recruitment Agreement, has undergone a wide transformation over time and has today reached a point where we are speaking of the fourth generation. We take pride in the roles undertaken and the achievements attained by our citizens throughout this process in fields ranging from business and academia to politics and diplomacy, and from trade and sports to science and the arts. We support the equal participation of the Turkish community in social life in Germany and regard the dual citizenship regulation in Germany as a highly valuable step taken in this direction".

Vedat Işıkhan also noted that Germany is Türkiye’s largest trading partner in Europe and stated, “During the visit paid to Ankara by the Honorable Chancellor last October, our President set forth the goal of increasing our bilateral trade volume, which has reached 50 billion dollars annually, to 60 billion dollars in the near future.”

We Act Jointly on International Platforms

Noting that Türkiye–Germany relations are not limited solely to bilateral ties, Vedat Işıkhan stated, “Particularly within the G20 and other international platforms of which we are both members, we act together in line with our common interests and strive to contribute jointly to the international agenda.” We are going through a period in which the value of the constructive role undertaken by Türkiye, and particularly by our esteemed President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in the geopolitical developments taking place in our region and around the world is recognized more clearly with each passing day. In this regard, we will continue our efforts together to strengthen initiatives that will enhance relations and interaction between our societies, which constitute the strongest bridge between Türkiye and Germany". He further stated, “I would also like to emphasize that today’s meeting serves this very purpose”.

At the end of his speech, Vedat Işıkhan expressed his hope that the Joint Working Group meeting would yield fruitful and productive outcomes for both countries and thanked everyone who contributed to its organization.

In her speech, Bärbel Bas stated that this was her first visit to Türkiye and that she was accompanied by a comprehensive delegation from various institutions. She thanked the hosts for their warm welcome and hospitality. Expressing her satisfaction with the progress of the institutional relations between the two Ministries, Minister Bas also noted that the Turkish community in Germany has achieved significant success and stands out through its diligence and hard work. Emphasizing that cooperation between the Ministries is not only based on a bilateral basis but it is also maintained within international platforms such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the G20, Bärbel Bas remarked that all these issues would be discussed in detail by the experts during the 8th Meeting of the Joint Working Group.

Following the meeting, Prof. Dr. Vedat Işıkhan, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, and Bärbel Bas, German Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, signed the “Joint Declaration of Intent on the Enhancement of Cooperation in the Fields of Labour and Social Policy Between the Ministries.”

Furthermore, a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Social Security Institution of the Republic of Türkiye and the German Social Accident Insurance was signed by the President of the Social Security Institution, Mr. Yunus Elitaş, and the Director General of the German Social Accident Insurance, Dr. Stephan Fasshauer.