German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday defended his country’s recently growing defence exports to Turkey, citing the membership of both countries in the NATO alliance as one reason.
“Turkey is a member of NATO and that is why we always make decisions that there will be concrete deliveries. That is a matter of course,” Scholz told a joint press conference with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul.
Scholz even appeared open to the potential delivery of Eurofighter jets to Turkey. The chancellor said talks between the United Kingdom and Turkey about the fighter jets are ongoing.
The issue is something “that will develop further, but is now being driven forward from there,” Scholz told reporters.
Erdoğan reiterated his interest in closer defence cooperation with Germany.
“We want to finally put the problems we have experienced in the past in connection with the procurement of products from the defence industry behind us and expand our cooperation,” said Erdoğan.
Turkey is hoping to receive around 40 Eurofighters. Germany and the UK are among the countries involved in the consortium that produces the Eurofighter, and German approval would be required before any of the jets could be exported to Turkey.
German armaments sales to Turkey have been controversial in recent years due to concerns about humans rights conditions in Turkey and some of the Turkish government’s international actions.
Following a failed coup in Turkey, and Turkey’s military ground offensive in northern Syria in 2016, German export permits to Ankara were reduced significantly.
Germany had previously been a large-scale armaments supplier to Turkey, but in recent years, German weapons exports to Turkey have been as low as the single-digit-million range.
Sales have recently been increasing, however. This year, Berlin has approved military exports worth €103 million ($112 million), according to German government data as of October 13. The exports are the most since 2011, and include weapons worth €840,000.
Most recently, Germany approved the delivery of 28 torpedoes and 101 guided missiles.
Another bone of contention in bilateral ties is the ongoing war in Gaza.
Erdoğan on Saturday accused Israel of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip. He also called for pressure on Israel so that more humanitarian aid can reach Gaza and accused Israel of expansionist policies.
Erdoğan’s government has close ties with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which Germany considers a terrorist group, and on Friday Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed his condolences over the death of Hamas leader Yahya al-Sinwar during a meeting with Hamas political leaders.
Scholz on Saturday rejected Erdoğan’s accusation of genocide, and the German leader said that civilian victims on all sides of the conflict should be mourned equally.
Scholz further stressed that Israel has the right to defend itself, but must abide by international law.
