Turkish defence officials assert that Germany's declared resistance to Eurofighter Typhoon transfers to Turkiye has no impact on the present acquisition talks.
Reports that Germany is stopping Turkiye from buying more than 30 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets have been dismissed by the Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MoD).
Reportedly driven by human rights and democratic backsliding worries, the problem has arisen against increasing political tension between Berlin and Ankara. German media have linked the choice to Ekrem İmamoğlu, the opposition leader and present mayor of Istanbul.
German outlet “Handelsblatt” reported that the coalition government of the Social Democrats and the Greens had decided to halt the sale due to Türkiye’s domestic political climate. The paper noted that the decision came during the outgoing administration’s final days in office. The German government has not denied the report.
Responding to media inquiries, sources from the Turkish MoD stated:
“Negotiations regarding the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft are being conducted with the United Kingdom. We have not held any discussions with Germany on this matter. Since the beginning of the process, we have received no negative feedback from our counterparts in the UK. The process is proceeding as planned in coordination with UK officials and representatives from the manufacturer. Furthermore, our internal price assessment is still ongoing.”
After its removal in 2019 owing to the procurement of the Russian S-400 air defence system, Türkiye started looking for substitutes for the F-35 project. By contrast, Greece bought French Rafale aircraft as well as U.S. F-35s, therefore changing the regional air power balance even further. Before the Turkish Parliament's Budget and Planning Committee in November 2023, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler stated that Türkiye was talking with the Eurofighter consortium nations—namely the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy. He confirmed that while the UK and Spain had shown support, Germany opposed the deal.
Germany has recently halted the opposition during the visit of Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Turkiye.
Speaking at the National Sovereignty Day reception on April 23, Minister Güler reiterated:
“We are progressing with the UK, and the process is continuing as it began. This matter does not concern Germany; our interlocutor is the United Kingdom. We will see how it unfolds. For us, everything continues as initially planned.”
There is growing speculation that the new German administration may adopt a more cooperative stance on defence matters with Türkiye. Meanwhile, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose name has been controversially associated with the reported German veto, called on Berlin via social media to lift the block on the deal.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
