Merkel says Turkey, as a NATO member, is an important partner for Germany

As a NATO member, Turkey is an important partner for us, as a NATO member, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"We see that Turkey is playing a role of a bridge between the two continents. We are geostrategically bound to each other. We have discussed separate topics at our meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We have common interests. The future government to start working in Germany will accept this fact. We trust each other," the chancellor stressed.