Germany will no longer approve arms sales to Turkey with the exception of naval equipment.
This was announced by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday.
He said Berlin rejected a large number of Ankara’s requests for German arms production and only approved products used by the Turkish navy. BBC Turkish quoted Maas as referring to the “General Anzeiger.”
Maas’ statement came in response to a question about why Germany did not completely stop selling arms to Turkey, which was intervening in war-torn Libya and Syria.
In 2019, Germany imposed a limited ban on arms sales to Turkey because of Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.
“What Turkey has done in the Syrian war is unacceptable to us,” BBC quoted Turkish Maas as saying.
The German foreign minister said Berlin’s stance toward its NATO ally was a “big step.”
Under the pretext of fighting terrorism, the Turkish army captured some parts in northern Syria. Some Turkish soldiers have also been stationed there. The government in Damascus, the Syrian people as well as the world community condemned the Turkish attacks on Syria.
Turkey is one of the largest importers of German weapons and military equipment. Arms deliveries to Turkey accounted for 242.8 million euros in 2018, almost a third of all German war weapons exports.
by Xavier Cuesta – European Correspondent – VN
