The CEO of Airbus Defense and Space, Michael Schöllhorn, in an exclusive interview he granted to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, stated that the talks on the sale of the aircraft Eurofighter in Turkey are approaching the final stage and he is now very optimistic that the negotiations will soon be concluded successfully.
Germany supports
Selhorn said Germany’s previous reservations about selling the Eurofighters had been overcome and the new coalition government led by Chancellor Mertz had made it clear it would not block the sale. “The German government has stated very clearly: we will not block, on the contrary we support the idea of delivering Eurofighters to Turkey. And I think that has been done,” the Airbus chief stressed, also revealing that talks are nearing the final stage, with BAE Systems – Britain’s Eurofighter joint venture partner – now leading negotiations with Ankara for the sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. It is, as he said, a commercial and technical discussion taking place between Eurofighter – led by BAE Systems, our partner in the Eurofighter consortium – and the Turkish state”, adding that he is very optimistic that the talks with Ankara will soon be completed successfully.
Advice to politicians
In fact, the Airbus strongman stressed that European governments should increase their defense spending and facilitate cooperation across Europe, as recent geopolitical developments have shown that Europe faces real threats and cannot rely solely on the US for its defense and security. He also expressed hope for closer cooperation between the European and Turkish defense industries, which has been limited in recent years due to political differences and objections from many EU members – notably Greece and Cyprus – to Turkey’s inclusion in joint EU defense procurement programs. “I think these should be resolved through talks, he said.
“Turkey is not a member of the EU, but Turkey is a member of NATO. And therefore, there should be a way and a way for cooperation” said Selhorn and while in five days, on October 30, Chancellor Mertz will make his first official visit to Turkey, where he will meet with President Tayyip Erdogan.
Source :Skai
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