Cooperation between Germany and Turkey in the field of weapons is quite limited. Entrepreneurs in Ankara are now trying to deepen this cooperation.
In 2024, the moment finally came: the first test flight of the KAAN stealth fighter. The aircraft was “Made in Turkey”. Only the engine continues to be provided by the United States of America. Meanwhile, the Turkish defense industry has made remarkable progress. Not only have the Bayraktar combat and reconnaissance drones long been a success in export markets, but also guided missiles and corvettes, small combat ships, are attracting international interest.
This has aroused the interest of both countries that invest in armaments, such as Germany, and German companies. For years, Germany had a hard time deciding whether to export weapons to Turkey. Ankara’s aggression against neighboring countries and repression of its population had more weight than the partnership within NATO.
Turkey used this period to develop its own weapons systems, which have now become internationally competitive and attractive to allies. For this reason, the fourth German-Turkish Economic Conference in Ankara was entirely devoted to cooperation in the defense and security industry. The stated aim of the meeting was to deepen existing cooperation and explore opportunities for new partnerships.
BUSINESSES WANT TO COLLABORATE
Florian Gleich from Renk Germany traveled to Ankara especially for the event. Renk, headquartered in Augsburg, is one of the largest manufacturers in this sector and, among other things, produces transmission systems for the Leopard 2 tank.
Previously, the company also supplied products to Turkey, but then the German federal government imposed export restrictions. Since then, a lot has changed in Turkey, says Renku’s manager, Florian Gleich. “The big difference compared to the past is that we no longer have a buyer-seller relationship, but a partnership. We want to cooperate. We have the expertise, while Turkey has the production capacity,” he says.
GREAT INTEREST ALSO FROM THE TURKISH SIDE
“Made in Germany” remains synonymous with quality and, through partnerships with German companies, Turkey could gain access to new markets, for example in Africa, says Şevket Ünal, vice president for international business development at Havelsan.
His company develops remote-controlled military robots, supported by artificial intelligence, such as the Barkan light armored vehicle, but also software solutions. “In Germany, for example, there are large shipyards where warships are built with certain software systems. However, Germany does not have its own software for these systems. We, as Havelsan, can develop it together with Germany and then jointly penetrate the global market,” he says.
An important prerequisite remains mutual trust. The word “trust” was repeated more than any other term during the conference. Industrial cooperation is based on contracts, said the German ambassador to Turkey, Sybille Katharina Sorg, but strategic industrial cooperation is based on trust.
“In the belief that technologies will be protected and that agreements will be respected. In the belief that partners will remain predictable. Also, in the belief that our strategic objectives are aligned with each other.” Sorg emphasized that the concerns that exist in Europe regarding Turkey are not always the result of misunderstandings or unfair treatment. According to her, there are real debates about the rule of law, political predictability and foreign policy decisions.
TURKEY’S SPECIAL ROLE IN THE WAR IN UKRAINE
This brings to mind the special role that Turkey plays within NATO in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. For example, Turkey did not join the sanctions against Russia. There have also been repeated threats against Greece, another NATO member. According to Florian Gleich, these are issues that need to be discussed and clarified in the interests of cooperation and security: “On the one hand, it is necessary to protect expertise. This is clearly important for Germany. On the other hand, we need to see how Europe as a whole can arm itself more quickly and efficiently, and exchange experiences. It makes no sense for anyone to act alone.”
The conference in Ankara gave new impetus to German-Turkish cooperation in the field of defense, but at the same time raised the expectation that words will be accompanied by concrete steps as soon as possible.
Şevket Ünal from Havelsan warns that the momentum must be seized: “We can cooperate very quickly with German companies and develop joint projects in a short time. However, if we encounter obstacles that slow down our motivation, the whole project can stop as quickly as it started.” Interest in cooperation in the defense industry is currently high on both sides. On the Turkish side, it is so great that even the Minister of Defense, Yaşar Güler, attended the closing evening of the conference. (DW)