Scholz confirms ongoing talks with Britain on Eurofighter jet deal for Turkey
ISTANBUL – During a key visit to Istanbul, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that discussions with Britain regarding the supply of Eurofighter jets to Turkey are still ongoing.
“There are some projects that are only at the beginning (stage). The one you mentioned is led by the British government. The negotiations have now begun. In this respect, it is something that will continue to develop,” he said at a press conference in Istanbul with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy, and Spain, represented by companies Airbus AIR.PA, BAE Systems BAES.L, and Leonardo LDOF.MI.
Accordingly, a British government spokesperson said, “We continue to make progress on the potential export of Eurofighter Typhoon to Turkey, an important NATO ally.”
Germany’s arms sales to Turkey were blocked in the past years by the Greens party, Chancellor Scholz’s coalition partner, due to domestic political pressure and different approaches to foreign policy.
“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 at the press conference.
On Thursday, a Turkish defence ministry official said Turkey had been conducting technical work aimed at accelerating its planned purchase of the jets.
NATO member Turkey has already secured a deal to procure 40 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernisation kits for its existing F-16s from the United States after a long-delayed process.
