BERLIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s planned visit to Berlin this weekend for the EURO 2024 quarter-final match between Türkiye and the Netherlands.

“I am delighted that the Turkish President is visiting, and by the way, many heads of state and government, and some royal families are coming here for the games,” Scholz told reporters in Berlin.

“And we try to ensure that representatives of the German government are always present, which I believe is also a great sign of respect, and we’re doing our utmost for this,” he said, adding that he will be attending the quarter-final between Germany and Spain on Friday.

After knocking Austria out of the EURO 2024 by 2-1 in a round 16 match on Tuesday, Vincenzo Montella's Türkiye will face the Netherlands on Saturday in Berlin. The quarter-final match at the Olympiastadion will begin at 1900GMT.

When asked if he would meet with Turkish President Erdogan this weekend, Chancellor Scholz said while they communicate frequently, a meeting would be difficult due to their busy schedules.

“I am pleased that President Erdogan is visiting Germany, that he is attending the soccer match. I have a constant exchange with the Turkish president, we often talk on the phone, we meet at international meetings,” Scholz said.

“But now this is a time when an incredible number of heads of state and government are visiting Germany. And I don’t have a bilateral meeting with each leader, but of course, unless we are attending the same match,” he added.