Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Germany and Britain had taken a positive stance on the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Ankara. The Turkish head of state expressed hope that the deal would be finalized "as soon as possible", reports "Reuters", BTA reports.
"The British and Germans are positive about the issue. With God's help, I believe we will receive our planes as soon as possible", Erdogan told reporters on a flight from Northern Cyprus. The quote is part of the official transcript of his speech released on Monday.
“In my conversations with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, I saw that both of them are positive about the topic. I hope we will take this step soon“, he added.
Turkey is in talks to buy Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, an aircraft developed by an international consortium between Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain. The consortium is represented by leading companies such as Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
Until now, Germany has been considered the main obstacle to the deal. However, the Turkish president's words suggest that a breakthrough in the positions of the consortium partners is possible.
The agreement is of strategic importance to the Turkish Air Force, especially after the country was excluded from the US-led F-35 fighter jet purchase program.