BERLIN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Exports of Germany's arms industry to Turkey amounted to a total of around 184.1 million euros (206.9 million U.S. dollars) between January and April, data revealed by the German government showed on Tuesday.
Turkey was the main recipient of German arms, accounting for around 60 percent of total arms exports in the first four months of 2019, according to a response by the German economics ministry (BMWi) to an inquiry by Sevim Dagdelen, deputy chairman of the parliamentary fraction of Germany's Left Party, sent to Xinhua.
The arms exported to Turkey were "exclusively for the maritime sector", the BMWi stated. Although the economics ministry did not specify, which maritime products the German arms industry exported to Turkey, it is most likely that the lion's share of these exports encompassed parts for submarines.
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), a subsidiary of German industrial giant Thyssenkrupp, is currently manufacturing six submarines in Turkey for the Turkish military.
Military exports from German companies to Turkey are a highly controversial issue in Germany.
The deployment of tanks from the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in the Kurdish-controlled area of North-Syria stirred uproar at the beginning of 2018, because the Kurdish YPG militia is considered to be a partner in the fight against the Islamic State.
Following the failed military coup in Turkey in 2016, the German government had stopped to issue new guarantees for German arms exports to Turkey by credit insurer Euler Hermes.
With such guarantees, Germany's government is protecting German companies in the event of non-payment by foreign debtors. Thyssenkrupp's deal for the six submarines for the Turkish military was finalized back in 2009 and is still protected by an Euler Hermes guarantee amounting to around 2.49 billion euros.
It would be highly irresponsible, that the German government would now have these weapons delivered to the Turkish navy, commented Left party politician Dagdelen, "despite the Turkish aggression policy in the eastern Mediterranean towards the European member state Cyprus".
"The German government is also to blame if Erdogan carries out his threat to use the submarines in a conflict against Cyprus," said Dagdelen and demanded that "arms exports to the authoritarian regime of Turkey must be stopped".
Turkey is currently conducting exploratory drilling for natural gas in areas off the coast of Cyprus, while Ankara claimed that some of the gas fields overlap with the exclusive economic zone of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots living in the northern part of the divided Cyprus island.
Cyprus was divided in 1974 after a Turkish military operation in reaction to a coup by Greek army officers serving in Cyprus. Its northern part is controlled by Turkish troops and run by a so-called Turkish Cypriot administration.
The EU has considered Turkey's drilling off Cyprus as illegal and decided to take actions against Ankara.
The foreign ministers of the European member states announced on Monday to impose sanctions against Turkey, such as the reduction of funds by the EU to Turkey as well as the stop of negotiations of an air transport agreement.
On Tuesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the EU's sanctions won't affect Ankara's determination to continue energy activities in the Eastern editerranean.
