- UK Government announces suspension on new arms sales that can be used by Turkish forces in Syria UK has licensed £1.1 billion worth of arms sales to Turkey since August 2014
- Ban must also affect existing licences, not just future sales
- Despite its authoritarian domestic policy, and increasingly aggressive foreign policy, the Erodgan regime in Turkey is among the world’s largest recipients of UK weapons.
The UK Government has announced there will be no further export licences to Turkey that could be used in the ongoing invasion of North Syria. This follows moves to curb arms sales by other European Governments, as well as an announcement that it will review existing licences.
Since President Erdogan came to power in August 2014, the UK has licensed £1.1 billion worth of arms to Turkey. Among other weapons, these include:
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In January 2017, the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, agreed a £100 million fighter jet deal with Turkey, which will see extensive collaboration between UK arms companies and Turkey.
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said:
“The UK Government has clearly been shamed into this, but the truth is that it should never have been arming and supporting President Erdogan and his authoritarian regime in the first place. This change cannot only be limited to future arms sales, it must also affect the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of arms that have been licensed over recent years. As long as those licences are still valid then those arms can be used. This should also mark a turning point in UK foreign policy in Turkey. In 2018 Turkish forces bombed Afrin and it made no difference to arms sales or military collaboration. If this move is to be more than symbolic then there can be no return to business-as-usual. It’s time that the rights of Kurdish people were finally put ahead of arms company profits.”
ENDS
For further information please contact Andrew at media(at)caat·org·uk or call 020 7281 0297.
