Germany says UK taking lead on possible Eurofighters for Turkey

Ankara said last year it was eager to acquire Eurofighter jets, but the talks have been slow to get off the ground.

A project to possibly supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets is an effort being driven by the United Kingdom and is in the early stages, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says.

“There are certain projects that are just getting started, … one that the UK government is taking forward and for which negotiations have now begun,” Scholz said when asked about the issue at a news conference on Saturday in Istanbul with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Turkey is a member of NATO, and that’s why we always take decisions that lead to concrete deliveries,” Scholz said.

There was no immediate comment from the British government.

Last year, Ankara said it was eager to acquire Eurofighter jets, but the talks have been slow to get off the ground, largely because of Berlin’s opposition to Turkey’s stance on the Gaza conflict.

According to the German news magazine Der Spiegel, Berlin recently authorised major arms deliveries to Ankara, including anti-aircraft missiles worth several hundred million euros.

This marks a clear change of direction after Germany drastically reduced its arms exports following Turkish offensives in Syria beginning in 2016.

Erdogan acknowledged Scholz’s efforts to lift German restrictions on defence sales to Turkey.

“We wish to leave behind some of the difficulties experienced in the past in the supply of defence industry products and develop our cooperation,” Erdogan told reporters, expressing his “appreciation” for Scholz’s efforts to find solutions to the issues.

The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium consisting of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo and involving Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain. Although London is leading the talks with interested parties, any of the four nations may veto a sale.

Germany had previously been a large-scale armaments supplier to Turkey, but in recent years, German weapons exports to Turkey have been lower.

Sales to Turkey have been controversial in Germany partly due to some of the Turkish government’s international actions.

After Turkey’s initial ground offensive in northern Syria in 2016, German export permits to Ankara were reduced significantly.

Another bone of contention in German-Turkish ties is Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

Erdogan on Saturday accused Israel of committing genocide in its assault on the Gaza Strip. He also called for pressure on Israel so more humanitarian aid can reach Gaza and accused Israel of expansionist policies.

Scholz on Saturday rejected Erdogan’s genocide accusation, and the German leader said civilian victims on all sides of the conflict should be mourned equally. He called for a ceasefire and the release of captives held by Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.