Germany and Turkey have announced progress in Ankara’s plan to purchase 20 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling the sale vital to reinforcing NATO’s eastern defenses. The high-profile visit in Ankara highlighted a complex agenda: European security cooperation, Middle East diplomacy, and migration management. Merz lauded Turkey’s diplomatic role in securing the October 10 ceasefire, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the occasion to denounce Israel’s operations in Gaza, accusing them of killing tens of thousands of civilians. On the European front, Turkey is courting Berlin’s help to join the €150 billion SAFE defense fund, which would grant access to joint R&D and procurement projects. Greece has threatened to veto Ankara’s participation, but Germany has indicated conditional support, signaling closer bilateral ties. For Turkey, the Eurofighter order complements its domestic KAAN fifth-generation fighter program and lessens dependence on US platforms. It would also reinforce NATO interoperability, particularly for air policing and deterrence missions over the Black Sea. Beyond military issues, Germany pressed for Turkish cooperation on deporting rejected asylum seekers and for assistance in resuming limited repatriations to Syria. Berlin’s diplomatic outreach included a parallel trip by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to Damascus — the first in over a decade — to reopen dialogue with President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Observers view Merz’s visit as a reset in German-Turkish relations: balancing shared defense objectives with contentious political issues. If concluded, the Eurofighter sale would mark a turning point for Turkey’s re-engagement with European defense frameworks, reaffirming NATO’s collective posture and signaling Berlin’s pragmatic approach to alliance cohesion.
