Turkey leads in buying German arms - media

Germany has quietly increased arms exports to Turkey in recent times, making it the top importer of German arms.

Germany shipped 184 million euro worth of mostly submarine components to Turkey in the first four months of this year, the German economy ministry said in answer to a parliamentary question by left-wing German MP Sevim Dagdelen.

The ministry also said that German government also approved twice as many new arms export licences to Turkey in the same period as in the whole of last year put together.

"It is highly irresponsible that the German government, despite the policy of Turkish aggression in the eastern Mediterranean, is now also having its arms delivered to Erdogan's navy," Euobserver cited Dagdelen as saying.

"Arms exports to the authoritarian regime of Turkey must be stopped, both permits and actual exports," he told the German news agency DPA.