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Statement by Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on arms exports to Turkey
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has issued the following statement to the German Press Agency (dpa):
I do not wish to assume that the conflict between Turkey and Greece will become so entrenched in the long run that it will affect our arms-export policy. This would certainly not be easy with a NATO partner. After all, we have already seen how our NATO partner Turkey simply bought missiles in Russia after it could no longer procure them from the US. I do not see this as the right way forward strategically. That is why we have been working constantly in recent months to resolve this conflict between Turkey and Greece by diplomatic means. We have not been as successful here as we had hoped. As a result, the Council has decided that sanctions will be imposed against Turkey. We will pursue this path. But naturally we will continue working to ensure that the conflict is resolved and that we do not have to permanently exclude a NATO partner from arms cooperation.