While weapons trade between Germany and Turkey has decreased compared to previous years, it has come to light that the German government made five weapons deals worth half a million euros between March 14 and the end of June 2018.
According to a report by the pro-Kurdish Fırat news agency (ANF), the German Finance Ministry responded to a written inquiry submitted by Die Linke to the Federal Parliament regarding weapons trade with Turkey and Saudi Arabia and provided detailed information on weapons deals approved by the German government.
According to the response, five weapons deals with Turkey valued at 418,279 euros were approved between these dates, as opposed to 9,7 million euros in weapons deals between January 1-March 13, 2018.
Last year, the Berlin administration had made 138 weapons deals worth 34 million euros with the Turkish government. In 2016, the amount was 83,9 million euros. It appears the weapons deals Germany made with the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regime have drastically decreased compared to recent years.
Some observers say this is due to the economic crisis Turkey has been experiencing for several months now, but on the other hand, the Turkish army starting to produce its own weapons through licensing deals with Germany’s weapons industry has also been a factor in the decreasing trade.
Die Linke harshly criticized the fact that weapons deals are still being made with the Turkish state in the written inquiry they submitted. One of the authors of the inquiry, MP Stefan Liebich, said the signing of new weapons deals with Ankara was “scandalous” and demanded a weapons embargo against Turkey starting immediately.
