Scholz, Erdogan meet on Mideast conflict, arms exports

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Istanbul on Saturday, discussing the escalating conflict in the Middle East and defense cooperation.

The two leaders addressed reporters following close-door discussions and reiterated their differences on Israel's military campaign in Gaza, and more recently Lebanon.

The Turkish leader, a fierce critic of Israel's military actions, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is clearly not focused on keeping the conflict within "certain limits."

But the visiting German chancellor said Israel "has the right to defend itself," though adding that it "must comply with international law."

Meanwhile, a Turkish diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Türkiye's plan to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from a European consortium that includes Germany, Britain, Spain, and Italy, was also discussed by the two leaders.

"There are favourable signs on this issue as of late. We expect more to come," the source said.

Scholz's told reporters that his government recently approved arms sales to Türkiye, adding "there will be more."

The Eurofighter acquisition project is part of Türkiye's efforts to modernize its air force, particularly as it faces delays in deploying its indigenous KAAN warplanes and procuring additional F-16s from the United States.

The twin-engine, supersonic Eurofighter jets would serve as an interim solution and enhance Türkiye's air defense capabilities in the short and medium term.

Germany initially opposed the sale due to concerns over Türkiye's military actions in Syria, but recent geopolitical events, including heightened tensions in the Middle East, have prompted Germany to reconsider its decision.

According to analysts, escalating regional tensions are behind this policy shift.

"Regional instability is pushing Ankara and Berlin towards each other for strategic reasons," Serkan Demirtas, an Ankara-based foreign policy analyst, told Xinhua.

In light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Berlin is eager to renew a migration agreement with Ankara to ensure that Türkiye keeps new refugee flows from reaching Europe, the analyst said.

In 2015, a European Union deal with Türkiye helped stem the mass influx of Syrian refugees into Europe.

Ozgur Eksi, editor-in-chief of the online TurDef defense magazine, told Xinhua that "preliminary technical talks between Germany and Türkiye have already been launched" on the Eurofighters, and there may be concrete results soon.

Türkiye's ratification of Sweden's NATO bid in January, which came after a long delay, has reinvigorated ties between the Western military alliance and Ankara, which frayed over Ankara's rapprochement with Russia, the Ankara-based defense policies expert noted.

The proposed deal comes as Türkiye faces challenges in upgrading its airforce fleet composed of U.S.-made fighter planes, following Washington's decision to exclude it from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 due to Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system.

To enhance its combat capabilities, Ankara has been seeking since 2021 to acquire 40 of the latest generation F-16s and 79 modernization kits, a contract worth 23 billion dollars.