German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday defended a large increase in defense exports to Turkey, citing both countries' membership of the NATO alliance as one reason.

The chancellor made the comments in Istanbul, after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Turkey is a member of NATO and that is why we always make decisions that there will be concrete deliveries. That is a matter of course," Scholz told a joint news conference, following the two leaders' meeting.

From single-digit figures a few years ago, Germany has approved more than a €100 million ($108.7 million) in military exports to Turkey so far this year.

Turkey seeks Eurofighter jet deal

Addressing reporters, Erdogan thanked Scholz for his efforts to lift German restrictions on defense sales to Turkey, notably Ankara's desire to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoons.

Scholz appeared open to the potential delivery of the combat jets, saying talks between the United Kingdom and Turkey are ongoing.

The issue is something "that will develop further, but is now being driven forward from there," the chancellor said.

The Eurofighter Typhoons are built by a four-nation consortium grouping Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy. 

Last year, Ankara said it was keen to acquire Eurofighter jets but the talks failed to progress, largely because of Berlin's opposition to Turkey's stance on the Gaza conflict.

Conflicting views on Gaza war

Erdogan is a fierce critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon, while Berlin has defended Israel's right to self-defense, which both leaders reiterated during their news conference.

"We expect all political actors to take the initiative and put a stop to Israel's aggressive policies," Erdogan said, denouncing "the genocide carried out by Israel in the Palestinian territories and the attacks in Lebanon." 

Scholz, meanwhile, said Germany, "does not consider... that the accusation of genocide is legitimate and justified," and then called for a cease-fire and the release of hostages held by Hamas. 

What happened to German military exports to Turkey?

Turkey was a large importer of German arms, but export permits were cut significantly by Berlin following a failed coup against Erdogan's rule and a crackdown on the opposition along with the Turkish military's ground offensive in northern Syria in 2016.

Having rebounded over several years, the German government has approved €103 million ($112 million) in military exports to Turkey so far this year, according to official data.

The exports are the most since 2011 and include the delivery of 28 torpedoes and 101 guided missiles, the government said in response to a parliamentary question from the left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

Der Spiegel weekly reported last week that Germany recently authorized major arms deliveries to Ankara, including anti-aircraft missiles worth several hundred million euros.

Scholz-Erodgan discuss migration to Europe

The two leaders also discussed the migration issue, with Scholz thanking Erdogan for Turkey's efforts to help tackle migration to Europe.

He said Germany would continue to support Ankara with the influx of migrants coming from Syria. 

Erdogan said there were currently around 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey and that Ankara would turn them away.

Berlin, meanwhile, has been seeking Ankara's support on the issue of deporting certain illegal migrants.

Turkish nationals form the third-largest group of asylum seekers in Germany, after Syrians and Afghans.

In the first half of 2024, 441 people of Turkish origin were deported from Germany to Turkey, according to official German data.

At the end of September, more than 15,000 Turkish citizens had been ordered to leave the country.

mm/wd (AFP, dpa)