German coalition known as traffic lights may approve arms sale to Turkiye. The next question will be the Eurofighter deal.
The German coalition is known as “traffic lights” due to the policies defended; the combination makes an important step towards Turkiye. According to the German publication “Der Speigel”, they might re-approve arms exports to Turkiye.
In recent years, the German government has drastically reduced arms deals with Turkiye even though it was never admitted. The decreasing trade volume between the two countries denies German denial. According to Spiegel By Matthias Gebauer, there are signs of a change of course.
The publication claims that the German government has approved large-scale arms exports to Turkiye for the first time in years. The Federal Security Council, which meets in secret, recently gave the green light to deliver German weapons worth several hundred million euros to NATO partner Turkiye.
These include 100 anti-aircraft missiles and torpedoes for the Turkish Navy and large material packages for modernising Turkish submarines and frigates.
The publication underlines that it has reached the list of approved weapons, and MBDA is permitted to supply Turkiye with 100 guided missiles for the air defence of ships. The list does not specify the financial scope of the deal, but the price of the probably RAM missiles is likely to be around 100 million euros. The Federal Security Council also approved the delivery of 28 SeaHake torpedoes from Thyssenkrupp’s naval division for 156 million euros.
The list gives a path to modernising Turkish U209 submarines; the budget is 79 million euros. The delivery of engine parts for Turkish corvettes and frigates was also approved for 1.9 million euros. The approvals granted are likely to amount to around 336 million euros.
Last week, there was a speculation in Ankara that Chancellor Olaf Scholz was expected to visit Turkiye to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. German sources deny the rumours, but this green light for arms sales to Turkiye raises expectations for another one for Eurofighters as it is known that only Germany opposes the deal.
