Germany green lights first large-scale arms export to Turkey in years
The German government has approved large-scale arms exports to NATO ally Turkey for the first time in years, reported the Germany-based news outlet Spiegel. The exports include air defense missiles, torpedoes, and large packages to modernize submarines and frigates.
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The German Federal Security Council recently gave the green light to arms exports worth several hundred million euros to NATO ally Turkey in a closed-door session, reported the German daily Spiegel.
The approved exports include 100 air defense missiles, torpedoes for the Turkish Navy, and large material packages for the modernization of Turkish submarines and frigates.
The 100 guided missiles intended for naval air defense are expected to cost around 100 million euros, while 28 SeaHake-type torpedoes, valued at 156 million euros, have also been approved for delivery to Ankara based on the German Finance Ministry's list.
The report stated that the total value of the arms, including the materials for submarine modernization, was approximately 336 million euros.
Germany’s approval of such large-scale arms exports to Turkey signaled a significant policy shift under the coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which has been in power since 2021.
According to Spiegel, Berlin had previously restricted arms exports to Turkey, viewing the country as a “problematic ally” due to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's “autocratic” leadership and his particularly “harsh stance” toward Kurds.
In 2023, Germany approved only 17 arms export applications to Turkey, totaling 1.22 million euros. Spiegel also reported that this trend continued into early 2024. According to the Finance Ministry, the government had approved only 23 million euros worth of arms exports to Turkey in the first quarter of this year, emphasizing that exports would only be authorized for joint projects with European Union or NATO partners.