President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Austrian Chancellor amid domestic opposition crackdown

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker travelled to Ankara for a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The talks, attended by SPÖ minister Peter Hanke and Wirtschaftskammer Österreich vice‑president Wolfgang Hesoun, focused on expanding economic cooperation, addressing migration flows, and discussing regional security challenges such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Middle‑East situation. Turkey is portrayed as a key partner for Austria and the EU because of its geographic position and the roughly 300,000 people of Turkish origin living in Austria.

At the same time, Erdogan’s government continues a hard‑line campaign against political opponents. Dozens of opposition politicians and mayors, including prominent challenger Ekrem Imamoglu, have been arrested or faced criminal charges, and the judiciary is being used to force defections to the ruling AKP. Critics say the crackdown is intended to secure Erdogan’s position ahead of the next presidential election, while new opposition formations are emerging despite the pressure.