Scholz defends arms sales to Turkey after talks with Erdogan DW 10/19/2024

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday defended a sharp increase in defense exports to Turkey, citing the two countries' membership in the NATO alliance as the reason.

The chancellor made the comments in Istanbul, after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Turkey is a member of NATO and that is why we always decide that there will be concrete deliveries. This is a matter of course,” Scholz said at a joint press conference after the meeting of the two leaders.

Compared to single digits a few years ago, Germany has approved more than $100 million in military exports to Turkey so far this year.

Turkey seeks to buy Eurofighter plane

Speaking to reporters, Erdogan thanked Scholz for his efforts to lift German restrictions on defense sales to Turkey, including Ankara's desire to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoons.

Scholz appears open to the potential delivery of the fighter jets, saying negotiations between the UK and Turkey are ongoing.

This is a subject “which will further develop, but which is now being pushed forward”, declared the Chancellor.

Eurofighter Typhoons are built by a consortium of four countries including Germany, Great Britain, Spain and Italy.

Last year, Ankara said it was interested in acquiring Eurofighter jets, but negotiations have not progressed, largely because of Berlin's opposition to Turkey's position on the Gaza conflict.

Conflicting opinions on the war in Gaza

Erdogan has been a fierce critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon, while Berlin has defended Israel's right to self-defense, something both leaders reiterated during their news conference.

“We expect all political actors to take the initiative and put an end to Israel's aggressive policies,” Erdogan said, denouncing “the genocide perpetrated by Israel in the Palestinian territories and the attacks in Lebanon.”

Scholz, meanwhile, said Germany “does not consider…that the accusation of genocide is legitimate and justified,” then called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by the Hamas.

What happened to German military exports to Turkey?

Turkey was a big importer of German weapons, but export permits were significantly reduced by Berlin following a failed coup against Erdogan's regime and a crackdown on opposition as well. than the Turkish army's ground offensive in northern Syria in 2016.

After bouncing around for several years, the German government has approved US$103 million ($112 million) in military exports to Turkey so far this year, according to official data.

These exports are the largest since 2011 and include the delivery of 28 torpedoes and 101 guided missiles, the government said in response to a parliamentary question from the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

The mirror The weekly reported last week that Germany had recently authorized large arms deliveries to Ankara, including anti-aircraft missiles worth several hundred million euros.

Scholz-Erodgan discusses migration to Europe

The two leaders also discussed the migration issue, with Scholz thanking Erdogan for Turkey's efforts to combat migration to Europe.

He said Germany would continue to support Ankara in the face of the influx of migrants from Syria.

Erdogan said there were currently around 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Türkiye and Ankara would turn them back.

Berlin, for its part, is seeking support from Ankara on the issue of the expulsion of certain illegal migrants.

Turkish nationals make up the third largest group of asylum seekers in Germany, after Syrians and Afghans.

In the first half of 2024, 441 people of Turkish origin were deported from Germany to Turkey, according to official German data.

By the end of September, more than 15,000 Turkish citizens had been ordered to leave the country.

mm/day (AFP, dpa)