MacroPolis

Within a week of being elected as Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz has embarked on a whirlwind of foreign policy diplomacy. His first stops included Paris and Warsaw, followed by Brussels for meetings with the European Commission and at NATO headquarters. He then boarded a train to Kyiv alongside French President Macron, UK Prime Minister Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Tusk to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky. In between, Merz dispatched his new foreign minister to Israel.

Merz’s Greek counterpart has been equally active. At the beginning of the week, Prime Minister Mitsotakis visited Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. His next stop was Berlin on Tuesday, where Chancellor Merz welcomed him with full military honors. Their delegations discussed a range of issues, including migration, developments in Ukraine, and the state of bilateral relations between Athens and Berlin. Later in the week, Merz and Mitsotakis will meet again on a broader stage at the 47-country European Political Community summit in Tirana.

The fact that the German chancellor is meeting with the Greek prime minister in Berlin so early in his tenure is remarkable. Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, was in office for almost two years before Mitsotakis visited him in Berlin for official bilateral consultations in November 2023. Merz and Mitsotakis share several common priorities. Both leaders agree on the need for a considerable expansion of public spending on infrastructure and defense. They also maintain strong engagement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, albeit for different historical and strategic reasons.

Despite this shared understanding, certain obstacles remain between Athens and Berlin. One key issue for Athens is German arms exports to Turkey. It remains to be seen whether the new German government will continue to block the sale of three dozen Eurofighter combat aircraft to Turkey. The Eurofighter consortium comprises manufacturers from Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz denied the German export license in early 2025. However, despite Berlin’s reluctance to approve the Eurofighter sale, German arms exports to Turkey reached 231 million euros in 2024—the highest amount since 2006. These exports included torpedoes, guided missiles, and submarine components. Friedrich Merz recently described Turkey as “a country of the highest strategic importance.”

Both leaders are also focused on strengthening bilateral economic relations, particularly in terms of German investment in Greece and green energy cooperation. A notable shift has occurred in how Athens and Berlin perceive each other. Some members of the new government in Berlin view Greece’s recent reforms as exemplary for an agenda that Germany has yet to implement. Mitsotakis, for his part, can confidently point to Greece’s economy “outperforming” most European nations. Before his visit to Berlin, he emphasized that “many of the reforms the German government is currently announcing, Greece has already implemented.” In short, his welcome statement could include an invitation for Merz to visit Greece soon and see its recent developments firsthand.

*From 2022 to end-2024 Jens Bastian worked in Berlin at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). He is currently at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.