According to arms trade data from Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Switzerland continues to sell weapons to Turkey. Greens Canton MP Haşim Sancar spoke to the ANF on the matter and mentioned Switzerland’s arms sales laws, then added: “Considering the anti-democratic practices in Turkey and that the weapons are being used against civilians, Switzerland should stop selling arms to Turkey.”

A significant portion of Switzerland’s income is through arms and weaponry equipment to various countries, and the country continues with the arms deal with Turkey still. According to the annual arms sales data from the Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Secrétariat d’Etat à l’Économie - SECO), Switzerland sold 28 million Swiss Francs worth of war equipment to Turkey between 2005 and 2015. 

Despite protests in recent years by democratic circles, the Switzerland government didn’t end the arms sales agreement with Turkey, but chose to only restrict the weapons.

FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS

The Switzerland Federal Constitution mandates how the manufacture and foreign sales of war equipment are to be done. According to the Federal Constitution, war equipment manufactured in Switzerland are prohibited from being used against civilian populations both in Switzerland and in the buyer country. It is also prohibited for a country to send the equipment they buy from Switzerland to another country. Due to these prohibitions, Switzerland carries out annual inquiries in some countries they sell weapons to in order to report the use of the weapons and adjust sales accordingly.

TURKEY SINCE 2005

Switzerland had halted all arms sales to the Turkish state in 1992 due to the war they waged in Kurdistan. As part of a trade deal they signed with the AKP government in 2004, sales of war equipment to Turkey started again in 2005. Switzerland has ignored the dirty war waged by the Turkish state in Kurdistan since 2005, and has completed sales of war equipment worth 28 million Swiss Francs in 11 years in disregard of the Federal Constitution. Despite reports by the United Nations and various human rights organizations stating that Turkey wages war on the civilian population, Switzerland continues to sell arms to the country.

AMONG 20 STATES

Annual war equipment sales statistics by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) show Turkey to be among the top 20 states that bought war equipment between 2005 and 2014.

The sales figures in recent years are reflected in SECO’s statistics published in 2015 as below:

Switzerland has sold 28 million Francs worth of war equipment to Turkey between 2005 and 2015, and the yearly value of sales can be seen in SECO’s graph on the left.

WHO DOES TURKEY USE THE WEAPONS AGAINST?

Between 2005 and 2015, 2.034.589 Francs worth of pistols, 4.901.180 Francs worth of various caliber hand guns, 12.055.855 Francs worth of ammunition, 4.840.000 Francs worth of bombs, missiles and rocket launchers were sold to Turkey. Further 4.772.325 Francs worth of military vehicles and 49.830 Francs worth of Panzer type armored vehicles and their equipment have been sold to Turkey, which have later been used frequently against the civilian population in Kurdistan.

The sales figures were as above between 2005 and 2015, while according to SECO data again, this rate was reduced to below 100.000 Francs in 2016. The reduction in the arms sales to Turkey in the last couple of years is said to be due to democratic circles protesting in Switzerland.

The Greens Bern Canton MP Haşim Sancar spoke to the ANF on Switzerland’s arms sales to Turkey.

GREENS MP SANCAR: UNACCEPTABLE

Sancar pointed out that Switzerland’s arms sales to Turkey have dropped significantly in the recent years due to pressure from democratic circles in the country and said that despite all the struggle, Switzerland has not decided to completely stop arms sales to Turkey.

Sancar stressed that the arms sales are done on the condition that Turkey does not use the weapons acquired against the civilian population and added: “When Erdoğan’s bodyguards attack civilians in the US in front of the whole world, there is no more need to explain to people what they do in Turkey.”

THE SUPERVISION IS DEBATABLE

Sancar pointed out that according to Switzerland’s laws, Turkey is prohibited from sending the weapons they buy from Switzerland to other countries and stated that it is debatable how Switzerland is supervising the implementation of this condition in a chaotic landscape such as the Middle East.

Sancar mentioned the fact that ISIS is in possession of weapons that belong to the Turkish state, and stressed that countries that sell weapons to Turkey, and NATO in particular, should demand an answer to how this happened.

THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THEY AREN’T USED

Sancar pointed to the situation in Turkey and, mentioning the war in Kurdistan, said the following: “There is no guarantee that the weapons are not used against the civilian population anywhere there is war. Switzerland pulled the arms sales to a minimum due to the war waged in the southeast of Turkey, but it still continues. Turkey, with zero tolerance to even the slightest democratic demand, should not be sold arms. Switzerland should immediately halt all arms sales to Turkey.”