Germany says ‘no decision yet’ on sale of Eurofighters to Türkiye

The German government denied media reports on Thursday that it had vetoed the sale of Eurofighter jets to Türkiye due to domestic political developments.

The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs clarified that the current caretaker government has not made a decision yet on the matter, as significant decisions will be reserved for the incoming government taking office next month.

"Regarding major arms export control issues, the current caretaker government will not make any decisions that would preempt those of the incoming government," ministry spokesman Tim-Niklas Wentzel told Anadolu.

"We generally do not comment on internal government consultations," he said, referring to discussions among coalition partners.

Türkiye, which has the second-largest military in NATO, is planning to purchase 40 Eurofighter jets, which are jointly produced by the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

Germany's involvement in the production process requires its final approval for the sale to take place.

The new coalition government, led by conservative leader Friedrich Merz, is expected to take office early next month.

Following an agreement between Merz's Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats after the Feb. 23 elections, the coalition deal now awaits approval from party organs and members. If approved, the German parliament could elect Merz as chancellor as early as May 6, succeeding current leader Olaf Scholz.