Scholz vows closer defense ties with NATO ally Türkiye

During a key visit to Istanbul, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed Saturday to strengthen defense cooperation with NATO ally Türkiye.

Addressing a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following a meeting between the two, Scholz confirmed that his government recently approved the delivery of certain arms and military equipment to Türkiye.

"Türkiye is a NATO ally, and on that account we are taking decisions that lead to concrete deliveries — that goes without saying. We have also made such decisions recently, and there will be more in the future," he said.

Asked about Türkiye's interest in purchasing Eurofighter Typhoon jets, Scholz said talks were currently underway between Britain and Türkiye on a potential sale.

"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.

Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes are jointly produced by the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Germany's involvement in the production process requires its final approval for the sale to take place.

Germany's arms sales to Türkiye were largely blocked in the past years by the Greens party, Chancellor Scholz's coalition partner, due to domestic political pressures and differing views on foreign policy.

Following his meeting with Erdogan in Istanbul, Scholz underlined that Germany and Türkiye should enhance their cooperation on foreign policy and security matters amid growing tension and conflicts in their immediate neighborhood.

"It is right and important that we both maintain close contact with each other on the issues that affect our countries bilaterally but also on the challenges we face together in the world," Scholz said.

He once again condemned Russia's war on Ukraine, reaffirmed that Western countries would continue supporting Kyiv, while also underlining the importance of ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war.

"Russia's aggression threatens the entire European peace order," Scholz warned.

"We support Ukraine in defending itself. Ukrainians can rely on us. At the same time, we are trying to find out how we can ensure that this war does not continue forever," he said.

During the news conference, Scholz expressed his support for closer EU-Türkiye cooperation, praising efforts by Ankara and neighboring Athens to normalize their relations after years of tensions.

"Allow me to say a few words about Turkish-Greek relations. You know how important this relationship is to us. I am pleased to see that relations have been developing in a very positive direction for some time," Scholz said.

"I would like to express my hope that this path will be pursued with determination and can lead to permanently stable and good neighborly relations," he continued.

"The further development of relations between the European Union and Türkiye is also important to me. It was a positive signal that the Turkish foreign minister took part in the informal EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels in August, for the first time in five years," Scholz added.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan took part in an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers held in Brussels on Aug. 30. He met separately with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

The Russia-Ukraine war, military support for Ukraine, and EU-NATO cooperation were discussed at the meeting, along with Türkiye-EU relations and regional issues.