Turkey’s bid to buy Eurofighter Typhoon jets has won support from all consortium members, the UK said, raising prospects for a deal previously blocked by Germany, Bloomberg reported.
“We are certain all four consortium partners support this sale,” UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the Hürriyet Daily News, referring to the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. His comments were published Monday ahead of a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.
Lammy said Turkey’s role as a European security partner is “more crucial than ever” as governments across the continent ramp up defense spending to counter Russia. Turkey, home to NATO’s second-largest military after the US, is seen as key to regional stability.
“We take notice of those reports,” a German government spokesman said at a news conference on Monday, adding that weapons exports decisions are taken by the country’s security cabinet.
The UK submitted an initial price offer for the fighter jets in March, marking progress in talks that had been stalled for years. The Eurofighter consortium includes Airbus SE, BAE Systems Plc and Leonardo SpA.
Berlin had previously blocked the sale, largely due to tensions between Turkey and Greece over competing energy claims in the eastern Mediterranean. Lammy said the UK’s efforts to secure Berlin’s approval have helped to advance the talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after last week’s NATO summit in The Hague that there had been “positive developments” in discussions with the UK and Germany regarding the purchase.
The signal for a potential sale of the Eurofighter jets to Turkey from the UK came as the US also seeks to resolve a separate dispute with Turkey over its removal from the F-35 fighter jet program. US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said Washington hopes to resolve the issue by year-end, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.