Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday committed to strengthening cooperation with Turkey, underlining Ankara’s strategic importance within the NATO alliance.
“Turkey is an extremely valuable and important NATO partner for us, and I will do everything I can to maintain and further expand this partnership,” Merz said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels.
Merz emphasized that Turkey safeguards a critical region within NATO territory, noting that its contributions to the alliance were a central topic in his meeting with Rutte. He also revealed plans to visit Ankara in the near future at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Addressing ongoing defense cooperation and the potential sale of Eurofighter jets to Turkey, Merz confirmed that no final decision has been made.
“We still need to decide in the German federal government whether to approve the delivery of fighter jets to Turkey,” he said. “Germany seeks the closest possible ties with Turkey within NATO and sees Ankara as a key ally.”
Turkey, which possesses NATO’s second-largest military, is seeking to purchase 40 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft—a multirole jet developed by the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. As one of the manufacturing partners, Germany’s approval is essential for the sale to proceed.
The previous German coalition government had voiced reservations about the deal, primarily due to opposition from the Green Party. However, Merz’s center-right CDU/CSU bloc, which recently formed a coalition with the Social Democrats, may signal a shift in Berlin’s position on the matter.
Merz, who became Germany’s 10th chancellor earlier this week, traveled to Brussels on Friday for one of his first official visits, meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte and top European Union officials.
