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British Prime Minister keir starmer He arrived in Türkiye on Monday with the aim of advancing talks on the billion-dollar sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to boost Ankara’s air capabilities.
Starmer is scheduled to meet the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan On regional and bilateral issues.
In July, Turkey and the UK signed a preliminary agreement for Eurofighters, to be produced by a UK consortium, GermanyLed by Italy and Spain and Britain’s BAE Systems. The deal follows Germany’s reported decision to lift its long-standing opposition to the sale of the jet to Türkiye.
Last week, Erdogan visited three Gulf countries and held talks on the possible acquisition of used Typhoons from Qatar and Oman.
Starmer’s spokesman, Tom Wells, said the prime minister is “optimistic that he will soon conclude negotiations with our Turkish partners on a multibillion-pound deal to equip us with Typhoon fighter planes.”
The British leader’s visit comes as Turkish prosecutors filed new charges on Friday against jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, accusing the politician seen as a major challenger to Erdogan of engaging in “espionage” activities. Imamoglu was arrested in March on corruption charges, which he strongly denies.
Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, has criticized European governments for their response to what it sees as a politically motivated government crackdown on Imamoglu and other jailed opposition mayors.
Wells said Britain expects Turkey “to uphold its international obligations and the rule of law, including the right to a fair trial,” adding that London had raised the issue of the arrest with the Turkish government “at multiple levels.”
“We have always been very honest with our counterparts in areas of disagreement,” Wells said when asked about Türkiye’s human rights record. “Economic partnerships can co-exist with frank dialogue on areas of disagreement.”
Turkey views the purchase of Eurofighters and other advanced jets as an interim solution until its domestically developed fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet becomes operational. This is not expected before 2028.
Türkiye, a member of the NATO military alliance, also wants to re-enter the US-led F-35 fighter jet program. It was excluded in 2019 due to its purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems, which were deemed a security risk to the F-35 program.
Erdogan recently raised the issue of the sale of F-35 fighter planes during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Turkish officials have said Turkey wants to acquire a total of 120 fighter jets – 40 Eurofighters, 40 US-made F-16s and 40 F-35s – as a transitional fleet before KAAN enters service.
On Monday, Starmer visited a Turkish Aerospace Industries facility ankaraTurkish Defense Ministry said, where he received a briefing on the KAAN fighter jet.
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Associated Press writer Jill Lawless contributed from London.