It has revealed that the meetings between Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Turkiye's President Erdoğan have played a decisive role for the release of German IT specialist Peter Steudtner who was arrested in Turkiye.

It has revealed that Germany's former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder mediated for Peter Steudtner who was detained on July 5 during a meeting in Istanbul Büyükada and released in his first hearing on Thursday.

Schröder came to Turkiye to meet with Erdoğan with the request of The German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel says German magazine Der Spiegel, added that the Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel was inaugurated in the mediation mission from the beginning. She also met the old Chancellor. Schröder had asked to be able to intervene as a representative of the entire federal government at Erdoğan - and not as a private individual.

Few people aware that mediation initiative that took place a week after the elections held on September 24 in Germany. Schröder visited Erdoğan and demanded the release of Deniz Yücel, and German citizens Meşale Tolu and Peter Steudtner who were under arrest in Turkiye.

In the Spiegel's news based on "reliable" sources, that Foreign Minister Gabriel gave struggle for months to find a solution to the crisis between Turkiye and Germany, but due to the increase the tension of mutual accusations publicly he then activated Schröder for this secret mission.

The meeting with Erdoğan in Istanbul was successful. Schröder and Erdoğan agreed that the foreign ministers of the two states should continue to work on a solution. This was apparently the fastest possible in the case of Steudtner. As a condition, the Turkish side argued that it did not want to intervene publicly in the ongoing legal proceedings.

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) was inaugurated in the mediation mission from the beginning. She also met the old Chancellor. Schröder had asked to be able to intervene as a representative of the entire federal government at Erdoğan - and not as a private individual. Only that, Schroder's reasoning, could give him the necessary authority at Erdoğan.

"I am very grateful to Gerhard Schröder for his mediation," said Foreign Minister Gabriel, "which is the first sign of relaxation, because the Turkish government has fulfilled all the commitments, and we must continue to work for the release of other detainees."

In summary, since July the German human rights defender Peter Steudtner has been in detention in Turkey in a raid on a hotel in Büyükada. Eight people including Amnesty International are accused of supporting terrorist organizations and were demanded to be sentenced to 15 years in jail. In the night to Wednesday, a court in Istanbul decided that he was to be released from custody. The former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder obtained the release. 

The officials of the Presidency of Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not yet made a statement about the meeting. (ILKHA)