Germany's outgoing coalition government has reportedly blocked the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Türkiye over recent political developments in the country, including the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu.
German financial daily Handelsblatt first reported on the veto last week, attributing the decision to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's caretaker government.
The export veto, according to Hendelsblatt, which cited several sources familiar with the secret internal government deliberations, stemmed from concerns in Berlin over Ankara's commitment to "democratic norms."
Imamoğlu, a prominent figure in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was arrested last month on corruption charges, the same day his party declared him as its presidential candidate, despite presidential elections being officially slated for 2028. The Turkish government has firmly rejected claims of political motivation, emphasizing the independence of the judiciary.
The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. The sale of advanced jets requires unanimous approval from all four countries.
While Ankara has expressed interest in acquiring the warplanes, the process had been complicated earlier by Germany’s objections, and despite the multilateral framework, Türkiye has been conducting negotiations mainly with the U.K., which formally submitted an offer for the jets to Ankara in March.
Türkiye announced late in 2023 its interest in acquiring as many as 40 jets, and its interest in Eurofighters came after a prolonged process over its request to buy F-16 warplanes from the U.S.
The recent development comes despite a positive hint from Scholz last year on the sales and amid growing defense exports from Germany to Türkiye, which had earlier stalled following the failed coup in Türkiye in 2016.
Scholz, who is currently only in office in an acting capacity, justified exports to Türkiye during a visit to Istanbul last October, suggesting Türkiye is a member of NATO," and that is why we repeatedly make decisions that lead to concrete deliveries."
However, a report by Turkish daily Milliyet indicated on Monday that the British side has reportedly assured Ankara that the outgoing coalition "took this veto decision to give a nod to their own voters through Imamoğlu and London will solve the issue with the new government."
The Turkish officials have not yet commented on recent reports.
The incoming German government, which again involves SPD along with Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), finalized a coalition deal earlier this month, and Friedrich Merz is likely to be voted in as the chancellor early next month.
Türkiye, despite boasting NATO's second-largest army, has often in the past faced arms embargoes, which have pushed it to significantly boost domestic capabilities and curb foreign dependence. Today, it produces a wide range of products and arms types domestically, including its own drones, missiles and naval vessels.