The German Ministry of Economy confirmed the information in their response to Die Linke MP Jan van Aken’s parliamentary question.

German Die Linke MP Jan van Aken submitted a parliamentary question to the federal government regarding the arms trade between Turkey and Germany. The question was answered by the Ministry of Economy.

According to the German Ministry of Economy’s response, Turkey has been refused light firearms, ammunition and other armament equipment.

Ministry of Economy Undersecretary Matthias Machining responded to the parliamentary question and stated that the human rights situation in Turkey played an important role in refusing to sell arms. The response stressed that there are concerns that especially since the coup attempt, weapons have been used against the people to suppress the Kurdish issue and other internal problems.

Die Linke MP van Aken spoke to the German press on the matter and said he was glad for the decision: “The next step for Germany should be to stop selling arms to Turkey completely.” Van Aken stated that the Turkish government drove both their own country and Syria into war and turned more into a dictatorship every day.

The German government usually approves arms sales to NATO and EU member states. Sales can only be refused in exceptional circumstances and especially with political reasons. So, restricting arms exports to Turkey, a NATO member, is rare.