On the eve of Angela Merkel's arrival in Turkey this week, predictions of "diplomatic tensions" – and worse – were rife. A harsh exchange of words between the German chancellor and the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had set the scene for what threatened to be a turbulent visit to Ankara. Where Merkel's statements about German-Turkish relations had Erdogan denouncing her "hatred against Turkey", in Ankara her language was conciliatory. But softened rhetoric cannot disguise underlying disagreements.
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