In Pics: Merkel Meets Erdoğan during Farewell Stop in Istanbul

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on a farewell visit to Istanbul on Saturday.

Erdoğan and Merkel rode a golf car and headed to the seaside of the palace, according to Anadolu Agency.

The report pointed out that they stood next to the flags of Turkey and Germany, then greeted the journalists waiting in the place. Finally, they headed to the palace for their meeting.

The two leaders were set to discuss bilateral ties "along with an exchange of views on the EU membership process of Turkey as well as regional and international issues," the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Germany's DPA news agency, ahead of the talks on Saturday.

The meeting addressed steps that can be taken to improve cooperation between the two countries, according to the reports.

In addition to bilateral relations, they touched on Turkish-European relations and regional and international issues, especially Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan.

Last week, Merkel met Pope Francis during a farewell visit to the Vatican and Italy, and they discussed climate change.

She asserted that the response to climate change would require a radical change in how people live.

“Humanity’s response to climate change will require a radical change in our way of living,” she told reporters.