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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday for talks focused squarely on Turkey’s plans to acquire Eurofighter jets. The visit comes as Turkey presses negotiations to purchase the European-made fighter aircraft, which are jointly produced by the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Turkey wants to modernise its air force and is hoping to acquire 40 jets. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP discussions were ongoing but said Britain would hand over a number of jets on Monday without saying how many. Analysts said it would likely be two. British officials have not said whether there would be an agreement or any formal handover during the visit. ‘Turkey and the Eurofighter is quite the saga,’ Aaron Stein, president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told AFP, saying Ankara had turned down an offer to join the European consortium, focusing instead on the US fighter jet programme. ‘Ankara was invited to join the consortium or become an equal member a few times but they chose the F-35,’ he said. But after Washington booted Ankara out of its F-35 fighter programme in 2019 over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system, Turkey turned its attention to Europe. Germany initially blocked the sale over Turkey’s stance on the Gaza war, but lifted its opposition in July, clearing the way for the sale to go ahead. Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits Ankara on Thursday for talks with Erdogan. Last week, Erdogan flew to Doha for talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, with Turkey floating plans to acquire some of Qatar’s Eurofighters. Any such move would likely be part of the deal with London who would have to grant its approval, analysts said. Although the Doha talks did not produce a concrete defence procurement deal, the two leaders signed a defence industry cooperation agreement. The Qatari leader is due to visit Ankara on Tuesday for talks to clarify outstanding issues, the Turkish official said. Qatar had placed an order for 24 Eurofighters in 2017 with the last two due to be delivered by the year’s end, observers said. The jets Britain was to sign over to Turkey on Monday were likely to be those that had been destined for Qatar, Stein said. Instead of being sent to Doha, ‘they’ll simply be shipped to Turkey,’ he explained. Gaza’s future is also likely to feature in talks between Erdogan and Starmer, with Turkey keen to join an international stabilisation force an idea firmly opposed by Israel. Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH is owned by Airbus SE, BAE Systems PLC and Leonardo Spa, who all own a minority stake. BAE Systems shares were 0.4% higher at 1,869.00 pence each on Monday afternoon in London, while Airbus shares fell 0.2% to €207.95 in Paris. Leonardo shares were up 0.3% at €51.38 each in Milan. By Fulya Ozerkan source: AFP Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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