Joint MEP letter to Germany to suspend submarine export to Turkey
Dear Chancellor,
in the light of ongoing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, as Greek and German Members of the European Parliament we call on the German government to immediately suspend the export of German submarines, its components and spare parts as well as all related maintenance activities.
Our appeal follows the European Parliament’s resolution of 17 September 2020 on Arms export: implementation of Common Position 2008/944/CFSP (para 17) which:
calls on the VP / HR, for as long as Turkey continues with its current illegal, unilateral actions in the Eastern Mediterranean that run counter to the sovereignty of any EU Member State (notably Greece and Cyprus) and international law, and does not engage in dialogue based on international law, to introduce an initiative in the Council for all EU Member States to halt arms export licensing to Turkey in accordance with the Common Position
Turkey’s recent explorative activities for natural gas deposits has led to an escalation of a simmering dispute between Turkey and Greece over maritime rights in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
We are extremely concerned about Turkey’s threats of military action against EU Member States in the Eastern Mediterranean and fear that Turkey could employ submarines produced in Germany in this conflict.
Therefore, we urge the German government to undertake urgent measures to suspend in relation to Turkey the export of submarines, its components and spare parts – largely produced by German Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems and assembled in Turkey – as well as related maintenance.
Yours sincerely,
Hannah Neumann, MEP
Maria Spyraki, MEP
Rasmus Andresen, MEP
Nikos Androulakis, MEP
Gabriele Bischoff, MEP
Konstantinos Arvantis, MEP
Reinhard Bütikofer, MEP
Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou, MEP
Udo Bullmann, MEP
Emmanoil Fragkos, MEP
Delara Burkhardt, MEP
Alexis Georgoulis, MEP
Patrick Breyer, MEP
Eva Kaili, MEP
Anna Cavazzini, MEP
Manolis Kefalogiannis, MEP
Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg, MEP
Petros Kokkalis, MEP
Özlem Demirel, MEP
Stelios Koulouglou, MEP
Cornelia Ernst, MEP
Elena Kountoura, MEP
Romeo Franz, MEP
Stelios Kympouropoulos, MEP
Daniel Freund, MEP
Georgios Kyrtsos, MEP
Evelyne Gebhardt, MEP
Vangelis Meimarakis, MEP
Jens Geier, MEP
Dimitrios Papadimoulis, MEP
Sven Giegold, MEP
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi, MEP
Henrike Hahn, MEP
Theodoros Zagorakis, MEP
Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP
Petra Kammerevert, MEP
Dietmar Köster, MEP
Constanze Krehl, MEP
Bernd Lange, MEP
Katrin Langensiepen, MEP
Erik Marquardt, MEP
Martina Michels, MEP
Ulrike Müller, MEP
Norbert Neuser, MEP
Niklas Nienaß, MEP
Maria Noichl, MEP
Jutta Paulus, MEP
Manuela Ripa, MEP
Martin Schirdewan, MEP
Joachim Schuster, MEP
Helmut Scholz, MEP
Birgit Sippel, MEP
Tiemo Wölken, MEP