Criticism also from CDU circles
However, the imprisoned individual is now sharply criticizing Berlin's decision. The Turkish Air Force urgently needs the Eurofighter jet, he wrote in a post on the platform X from his prison cell in the high-security prison in Silivri near Istanbul. He wants to appeal to the future federal government.
"Turkey is not just Erdogan — Turkey is more than Erdogan. Governments come and go," Imamoglu continues. "National interests are above Erdogan and Imamoglu. I earnestly ask you to revoke the decision."
Within the CDU, the decision of the acting federal government is also facing criticism. "Turkey is a NATO partner. It should be self-evident that one enables arms deliveries to a NATO partner," said Torsten Frei, Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. "I don't understand why the stoppage happened. The usual criterion is the planned use of the weapons."
When asked whether the next federal government would reverse the decision, Frei said: "Apparently, there were domestic political considerations. I would consider that to be wrong in this case."
Within the Union, it is also argued that Germany should no longer hinder European joint projects in the defense sector with its restrictive export policy. The Eurofighter is not a solely German production, but is manufactured by a consortium of companies from Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
While the SPD is somewhat less skeptical of arms exports to Turkey than the Greens, outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz had personally advocated for the arms deal. However, the authoritarian policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are causing increasing concern among the Social Democrats. Imamoglu's arrest is seen as an anti-democratic act that calls the basis for arms deals into question.