German defense minister holds talks in Ankara

German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung arrived yesterday in Turkey on his second stop following talks in neighboring Greece, and today he is scheduled to have a meeting with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül and his Turkish counterpart, Vecdi Gönül.

German Embassy sources here said the visit was in the scope of the German term presidency of the now 27-nation bloc. The talks will focus on bilateral issues. Germany and Turkey have quite a number of common interests regarding the Middle East and the Balkans, added the same sources. The developments with regard to NATO are also expected to be in the context of the talks.

No defense tenders are expected to be discussed during the visiting defense minister's talks in Ankara, as there is currently no urgent issue. But the sources said long-term cooperation in terms of military procurement would be taken up.

In November 2005, an agreement was signed for the sale of 298 German army Leopard 2A4 tanks to Turkey. Deliveries are planned from 2006 to 2007. Officials from the German Embassy were not able to verify the exact number indicating how many tanks will be delivered under the deal but only said it was an ongoing process.

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