Turkey, Germany discuss arms supplies and Israel’s conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon

Germany and Turkey discussed arms supplies and regional conflicts during German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Istanbul on Saturday. 

A project to supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets, spearheaded by Britain, is still in its early stages, Scholz said at a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“It is something that will continue to develop, but is now being driven forward from there (Britain),” he stated when asked about progress on the issue, Reuters reported.

Scholz is visiting Turkey in the wake of an EU summit focused on migration and amid an emotional debate on harsher asylum rules and increased deportations at home. 

Erdoğan, during a meeting which marks the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and Turkey, expressed a desire to move past prior difficulties in defense cooperation. “We wish to leave behind some of the difficulties experienced in the past in the supply of defence industry products and develop our cooperation,” he said.

Erdogan also accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, calling for increased international pressure to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the besieged enclave. While Scholz rejected Erdogan’s accusation of genocide, he stressed that civilian victims on both sides must be equally recognized, Frankfurter Rundschau reported.

“It’s no secret that we also have different views on Israel,” Scholz said, according to Tagesspiegel.

The German chancellor said that he sees a possibility to de-escalate the hostilities in Lebanon, if United Nations resolution calling for a withdrawal of the Shiite Hezbollah militia from the border area is implemented. 

Scholz arrived in Istanbul on Friday night after a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of France and Britain in Berlin.