2024-09-23 22:06:00 :
(Bloomberg) — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is urging Germany to approve the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Turkey in a sign that the two NATO allies are working to improve relations.
Turkish leaders will raise the issue on Monday when they meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in New York, where they are traveling to attend the United Nations General Assembly, according to people familiar with the matter.
Turkey is pushing for a deal estimated to be worth about 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) to buy at least 20 Eurofighters, with an option to double the amount, people familiar with the matter said. The person asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. .
The German defense ministry and government declined to comment. Officials in Germany’s ruling coalition said the Berlin government expected Turkey to raise the issue at a bilateral meeting on Monday, but that a decision might not be made immediately. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Germany has blocked the sale of the aircraft to Turkey for more than a year, largely due to Turkey’s dispute with Greece over energy exploration in the Mediterranean, a conflict that dates back to 2019. Erdogan renewed his efforts to get Scholz to approve the deal, but the move was met with opposition against a backdrop of improving ties with the EU.
Germany is the only country in the four-way consortium that produces the Eurofighter to stand firm.
In an effort to change that, NATO member Türkiye is emphasizing the key role it plays in slowing migration in Europe. It has also recently restricted offshore energy exploration in some areas to appease Greece and lobbied for greater defense cooperation, telling allies it would bolster deterrence on NATO’s southeastern flank.
The Turkish government also wants to buy Meteor-guided missiles and has requested access to the Eurofighter mission computer to integrate domestic missile systems, people familiar with the matter said.
Türkiye’s Defense Ministry declined to comment.
Erdogan urged Scholz at a meeting in Washington in July to lift the block on the sale. Earlier this year, Germany lifted restrictions on the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
After the thaw in relations between Greece and Turkey, the EU is accelerating its plan to improve relations with Ankara. Greece and Turkey applied to join the BRICS countries together with Russia and China to seek a new alliance.
Erdogan has been working to modernize Turkey’s air force since the United States in 2019 removed Turkey from a plan to buy and help build Lockheed Martin’s more advanced F-35 fighter jets, even as regional rival Greece Prepare to receive these fighters in the coming years.
–With assistance from Michael Nienaber and Camille Kovalche.
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