BERLIN

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 Erdogan 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.