Germany approves $370m arms sale to Turkiye, in first major export deal in years

Germany has approved the delivery of weapons to Turkiye worth hundreds of millions of dollars, in the first such major deal in years since Berlin sidelined Ankara over its domestic and foreign policy moves.

According to the German newspaper, Der Spiegel, the Federal Security Council of Germany recently approved a significant arms export deal with Turkiye, which includes 100 anti-aircraft missiles and torpedoes for the Turkish navy and major modernisation packages for its submarines and frigates, as well as 100 RAM missiles worth around €100 million ($110 million) and 28 SeaHake torpedoes for a total of €156 million ($171 million).

The total value of the approved deal is expected to amount to approximately €336 million ($369 million). It is the first major arms deal between the two countries in at least five years, with Berlin having severely sidelined Ankara in terms of its arms exports due to some of the Turkish government’s domestic and foreign policy initiatives.

In 2023, only 17 minor export projects worth €1.22 million were approved, representing a significant low point in such relations. In the first quarter of 2024, that increased to €23 million ($25 million) worth of weapons exports being approved by Germany to Turkiye. Now, with the recent deal worth almost $370 million, relations between the two countries in the defence sector have exceeded previous expectations, potentially signalling a reconciliation or a shift in Berlin’s stance toward Ankara.

One unnamed German official was quoted as stating that the “change in arms policy underlines the balancing act between security cooperation with Turkiye and the need to address ethical concerns about the government’s actions”.

Is Germany’s arms export controversy a sign of the Zionist project’s diminishing support?