Wüst in Turkey: The Chancellor Question Travels With Him

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NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst is on a three-day trip to Turkey. The stops: Ankara and Istanbul. What looks outwardly like a classic working visit by a state politician has gained federal political weight thanks to a persistent question.

Anyone who wants to play a bigger role in Berlin today must be able to do more than pure state politics. Turkey is a welcome stage for that: politically relevant, economically important, always good for a headline.

And that's precisely where the chancellor question comes in, following Wüst every step of the way – all the way across to the Bosphorus.

Wüst between Ankara and Istanbul – what the trip is meant to show

Handelsblatt puts the core question bluntly:

Is Wüst demonstrating that he can also be a foreign-policy chancellor?

Three days, two capitals: The trip gives the NRW Minister-President a stage and little room for blunders. In Ankara, foreign policy meets symbolic power; in Istanbul, it meets business and the port.

Erdogan also seems to be doing the math

The question about Wüst's performance is apparently not limited to Berlin. According to Handelsblatt, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also seems to wonder what the NRW Minister-President is up to. That turns the trip into a double test – inward and outward.

What the Turkey trip can achieve – and what it can't

Three days abroad can prove stature – or be exposed as stagecraft. In the end, what matters is not the number of photo opportunities but what results the talks deliver. Wüst won't shake the chancellor question anytime soon. Whether the trip answers it or only sharpens it will only become clear back in Berlin.