{"id":23916,"date":"2018-01-24T15:48:14","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T15:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/24\/germany-on-the-defensive-in-turkish-tank-row\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T14:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:02:09","slug":"germany-on-the-defensive-in-turkish-tank-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2018\/01\/24\/germany-on-the-defensive-in-turkish-tank-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany on the defensive in Turkish tank row"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BERLIN \u2014 The German government is firing back at critics of its arms export policies, insisting that it takes great care not to approve the sale of weapons to countries that abuse human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newly released figures show the governing coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel\u2019s conservative Union bloc and the center-left Social Democrats approved more weapons exports over the past four years than its predecessor, including to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Germany\u2019s centrist \u201cgrand coalition\u201d approved sales worth \u20ac25.1 billion (U.S. $30.8 billion) between 2014 and 2017, an increase of 21 percent compared with the previous four years under a more right-leaning government, according to data contained in a government response to the opposition Left party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exports to countries outside the European Union and NATO rose even more steeply, by 47 percent, to almost \u20ac15 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked about NATO ally Turkey\u2019s reported use of German-made Leopard tanks in its offensive against Kurds in northern Syria<\/a>, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen told broadcaster n-tv that the tanks were sold \u201cas part of a normal procedure under NATO rules and also the rules that Germany has.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t