Merkel wrote her memoirs and dedicated a long section to President Erdoğan.

Germany's first and only female Chancellor Angela Merkel has released her memoir titled "Freedom: Memoir 1954-2021." In her memoir, Merkel sheds light on the background of the political discussions during her chancellorship. In the book, she dedicates a long section to Turkey, which she visited 12 times since taking office in 2005, and to President Erdoğan, with whom she met countless times at international meetings.

Starting from the 528th page of the book, Merkel particularly recounts her contacts and memories with Erdoğan following the migrant crisis in 2015. She describes meeting Erdoğan at the United Nations Summit in New York on September 25, 2015, where they decided to establish a joint working group on migrants, and writes about her visit to Istanbul on October 18, 2015, where she met not only Erdoğan but also then-Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.

"TWO GOLDEN THRONES"

In her book, Merkel notes that the section of her visit to Istanbul at the Yıldız Palace caused reactions in Germany, and she recounts her memories with Erdoğan during that time as follows:

"My visit to Istanbul was harshly criticized. It was due to two chairs, or rather, two golden thrones. Erdoğan sat on one, and I sat on the other. We sat in those chairs not only for the photographers' snapshots but also during our conversation. I thought they were wonderful, but I didn't focus on the situation outside of that. Instead, I concentrated on what I wanted to achieve in terms of content. But later it was written that 'A picture is worth a thousand words,' and that I sat in his palace like a ruler in front of Erdoğan, and that I could even kneel before him if necessary. We were about to sign an agreement to keep more refugees away from us. Even worse, since the visit took place two weeks before the parliamentary elections in Turkey, I was also accused of using my visit to provide electoral assistance to Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party."