Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Turkey on Monday to discuss bilateral relations with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his first visit to the country since he took office, reports TurkicWorld to thr reference DailySabah.

The trip is expected to be dominated by the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders will hold talks in the afternoon followed by dinner.

Scholz is scheduled to return to Berlin later Monday.

Ankara has emerged as one of the mediators in the Ukraine war, which erupted on Feb. 24 with Russia's long-feared invasion of its neighbor. Turkey, a NATO member, enjoys close relations with both Ukraine and Russia.

For Scholz, Monday will mark his fifth trip outside the European Union since he succeeded Angela Merkel in December. Previously, he had been to the United States, Ukraine, Russia and Israel.

Ankara and Berlin are major trading partners, as Germany has been a top Turkish import and export destination for decades.