Germany approves Eurofighter jet delivery to Turkey

AFP | Berlin

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Germany Germany said yesterday it had approved the delivery of Eurofighter jets to Turkey, clearing the way for a deal that had been delayed by tensions between the two countries.

Turkey had been in talks for several years on buying 40 of the aircraft, which are constructed by a consortium from Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain. The Typhoon jets are to be built in Britain and London is leading the negotiations.

But all members of the consortium must sign off on the sale and Germany, which has clashed with Turkey over Israel’s war on Gaza, had objected. However, the defence ministry had now “sent a written confirmation to the Turkish government confirming the approval of the export”, government spokesman Stefan Kornelius told journalists in Berlin.

News outlet Der Spiegel reported that Chancellor Friedrich Merz had bowed to pressure from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as the project is expected to support about 20,000 jobs in Britain.

After Germany gave the green light to the sale, the Turkish and British defence ministers signed a preliminary agreement in Istanbul on Wednesday for the delivery of the jets.