Merz says Turkish guest workers became immigrants and eventually Germans

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at a ceremony in Berlin marking 65 years of the labor recruitment agreement with Türkiye that Turkish guest workers helped build Germany's industry and contributed greatly to its prosperity.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke at a ceremony in Berlin marking the 65th anniversary of the labor recruitment agreement signed between Germany and Türkiye on Oct. 30, 1961. Merz paid tribute to the people who came to Germany as guest workers and made it their new home.

"The guest workers gradually became immigrants. And at some point: Germans," Merz said, adding that Turkish workers helped build Germany's industrial base and often contributed to the country's prosperity with extraordinary diligence. He said they had also profoundly shaped the cultural face of the Federal Republic and continue to do so.

"An example of successful integration"

Merz described the story of the guest workers as an example of successful integration to which both sides had contributed. He said the workplace, the classroom and the sports club remain the places where integration happens, and that thanks to migration from Türkiye, Germany has become richer culturally, economically, scientifically and in its cuisine.

Friedrich Merz speaks at a podium (file)

According to German media, Merz condemned attacks on immigrants and rejected the term "remigration" used by the far-right AfD. In the same speech he also warned that an open society could become overburdened. The government's integration commissioner, Natalie Pawlik, pointed to rising racism.

A journey that began 65 years ago

The labor agreement between Germany and Türkiye was signed on Oct. 30, 1961, and the first 55 Turkish workers arrived at Düsseldorf Airport in November 1961. By 1973, about 870,000 people had come to Germany from Türkiye, while about half a million returned in the same period.