Expansive arms shipments permitted by Ampel to Turkey.
For the first time in a while, German authorities have given the go-ahead for substantial weapons exports to Turkey, as stated in media reports. As per Spiegel's report, the Bundeswehr's secretive Bundeswehr-Sicherheitsrat recently gave the thumbs-up for German weaponry worth numerous hundreds of millions of euros to be shipped to Turkey. This includes 100 air defense missiles and torpedoes for Turkey's navy, as well as significant equipment packages for modernizing Turkish submarines and frigates.
The recent approvals are based on a list from the Economics Ministry, which Spiegel claims to have obtained. According to the report, weapon manufacturer MBDA is permitted to supply 100 guided ship defense missiles to Turkey. While the report does not specify the financials of this deal, the RAM missile package is estimated to be around 100 million euros.
On top of this, the Bundeswehr-Sicherheitsrat reportedly approved the delivery of 28 SeaHake torpedoes from ThyssenKrupp's naval division for 156 million euros. Two German arms companies consortiums have also been granted permission to deliver equipment packages for modernizing Turkish U209 submarines for 79 million euros. The delivery of engine parts for Turkish corvettes and frigates was also approved for 1.9 million euros. In total, the collective value of these approvals could reach around 336 million euros.
These figures represent a shift in policy for the traffic light government. In the past few years, Berlin had significantly reduced weapons exports to Turkey as Turkey had become more problematic as a partner instead of an EU candidate. Recently, the NATO ally even applied for membership in the BRICS group dominated by China and Russia, thereby provoking the alliance.
As a result, the German government had scarcely approved any weapons exports for the NATO partner. In the entire year of 2023, just 17 mini-projects with a total value of 1.22 million euros were given the green light.
The European Union, as a political and economic union of 27 European countries, has expressed concern over Germany's decision to increase weapons exports to Turkey, given its ambiguous relationship with the bloc. Despite Germany's former policy of limiting weapons exports due to Turkey's issue as a problematic EU partner, the recent approvals could potentially harm the EU's collective stance towards Turkey's actions.
Bearing in mind the European Union's stance on Turkey's activities, the German government's move to boost weapons exports might raise questions about its commitment to maintaining unity within the EU and its stance on potential NATO allies.
