German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday turned down calls by Greece to impose an EU arms embargo on Turkey, underlining Berlin’s strategic commitments within the NATO alliance.
“ISSUES RELATED TO ARMS EXPORTS MUST BE DISCUSSED WITHIN NATO ALLIANCE”
Speaking to reporters after an EU leaders summit in Brussels, Merkel said she was happy with the outcome of the meeting, and said decisions on Turkish-EU relations were also “well-balanced.”
Asked about Greece’s request that Germany halt arm sales and delivery of Type 214 class submarines to Turkey, Merkel said they should take into consideration “the strategic dependencies” within the NATO alliance.
“Issues related to arms exports and deliveries must be discussed within the NATO alliance,” Merkel said, adding that the majority of EU members were also members of the defense bloc. But during the discussion on Thursday evening, a majority of European leaders opposed an arms embargo or severe economic sanctions, opting instead for a softer line.
Merkel told reporters on Friday that they would continue their discussion on Turkey in the coming weeks. “We would like to also coordinate our policies with the upcoming US administration about Turkey,” she said, referring to the Biden administration, set to take office on Jan. 20.
She said her government would wait for a report by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Turkish-EU relations before making any further evaluation of the matter.