Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz led a Berlin ceremony on Tuesday that praised Turkish guest workers for building Germany’s industry and warned that fear of foreigners is growing.
- Federal integration commissioner Natalie Pawlik called the 1961 agreement a success that helped make Germany an immigration country and said people with Turkish surnames still face discrimination and unequal school outcomes.
- Historians and officials note the 1961 pact brought almost 900,000 Turkish workers over its 12-year span and underpins a community of about three million people of Turkish origin in Germany today.
- The Turkish Embassy urged deeper political and economic ties between the two countries as commemoration events highlighted both shared history and current bilateral priorities.
- Coverage recalled violent anti-immigrant attacks such as Mölln, Solingen and the NSU murders to show persistent social tensions and pointed to concrete policy areas to watch next, including school equity, recognition of foreign qualifications and efforts to counter hostile political rhetoric.