Turkey will be procuring 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets after Germany lifted its objections to the deal, according to Turkey’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler.
Guler stated the deal was reached as Germany had approved the Turkish request following the support of NATO allies Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, who are joint partners in producing the multipurpose fighter jets.
Turkey sought other solutions to upgrade its military aircraft after the US expelled it from the F-35 fighter jet program over the former’s agreement with Russia to acquire the highly capable S-400 anti-missile systems.
The Turkish Defense Minister addressed several issues in an interview with Turkish media, including questions about the anticipated acceleration of processes related to purchasing American F-16 fighter jets under the Trump administration.
“Our relations with our American friends are very positive. We intend to purchase 40 F-16 Vipers, and contracts have already been signed,” he noted.
Guler went on to state that Turkey was also set to acquire 40 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. “Germany had resisted for a long time, but thanks to the positive support of our NATO allies—Britain, Italy, and Spain—Germany has responded favorably.”
When asked about Greek-Turkish relations, the head of the Turkish Defense Ministry replied: “Our president [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] has developed a very positive relationship with the Greek prime minister [Kyriakos Mitsotakis]. Significant steps have indeed been taken to turn the Aegean Sea into a sea of friendship rather than hostility. It is our duty to support this effort. Our Foreign Minister is making significant progress in this regard, holding productive and serious discussions with the Greek Foreign Minister, which we believe will be positive. We, of course, are providing all kinds of support and are working to advance this initiative started by our President.”
Finally, on the Cyprus issue, Guler reiterated that “the two-state solution is now a non-negotiable solution for us,” accusing the Republic of Cyprus of seeking new roles for itself. “While genocidal acts continue in Gaza, Cyprus is opening and attempting to establish military bases. It claims to be directing aid or similar actions. However, this could potentially backfire on them in the future,” he said.
