Reference Message Network reported on April 19th according to a report on April 17th on the website of German "Handelsblatt", the German caretaker government is blocking a plan to provide more than 30 European fighters to Turkey. Several people familiar with the secret consultations within the government told the "Handelsblatt" reporter about this news.

Insiders in the German government said that the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the leader of the Turkish opposition, was an important reason for the German government's decision not to issue export permits for fighter jets. As the political rival of Turkish President Erdogan, Imamoglu is facing corruption charges. The Turkish opposition considers this a political conspiracy. The German side strongly criticized Erdogan over this matter.

However, Olaf Scholz, the current caretaker prime minister of Germany, once explained Germany's arms exports to Turkey during his visit to Istanbul last October: "Turkey is a NATO member, which is why we have repeatedly decided to make substantial deliveries."

According to insiders, Scholz has personally intervened in recent years to dispel concerns about providing European fighter jets to Turkey.

The insiders said that Scholz had made significant progress in his secret talks with Erdogan, and the approval process was "progressing smoothly." Even the Foreign Ministry and the Economics Ministry, which had previously been skeptical of the plan, had actually agreed to it. However, Erdogan's subsequent actions against Imamoglu nullified these efforts. Large-scale protests have erupted across Turkey over the arrest of the opposition leader for several weeks.

The report said that Turkey's domestic political tensions put Germany in a difficult situation. On one hand, Berlin is striving to maintain good relations with the Turkish government, which plays a key role in the Middle East and the Ukraine war. On the other hand, Turkey's domestic political situation has become tense, making the relationship between the two countries more complicated.

For the future German government led by the Union and Social Democratic Party, the export plan for European fighter jets may also become a burden. In the coalition agreement, the two parties are determined to overcome internal disputes over arms exports. The agreement points out that "export control permits must be approved more quickly and in a more coordinated manner," with the aim of "harmonizing European weapons export regulations."

This is particularly important for the European fighter jet. Because this type of fighter jet is jointly developed by Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. For many years, there have been quarrels within the European fighter jet company due to Berlin's restrictive stance on arms exports.

So far, Germany's special regulations on arms exports have always been an obstacle to the production of general European weapon systems. Because the British and French traditionally do not fully understand Germany's cautious attitude.

Turkey is annoyed by Germany's veto on the export plan. The Turkish Air Force urgently hopes to modernize its fighter fleet, which mainly consists of American F-16 fighters.

Turkey originally intended to become a customer of the F-35 project. But after Ankara ordered Russia's S-400 air defense missile system, Washington banned the sale of this most advanced fighter jet produced by Lockheed Martin Corporation to Turkey.

To enhance independence, Ankara also relies on its own self-developed plans such as the "Kaan" fighter aircraft. This aircraft completed its first flight in February last year and is still undergoing testing. (Compiled/Fei Yu Hao, Nie Li Tao)

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494866626785985063/

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