Turkey dismissed reports of German caretaker government putting on hold a decision on upgrading German-made tanks in Turkey due to uncertainty over the formation of a new government, Daily Sabah reports.
Speaking to reporters following a news conference in Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu said the meeting of a commission on the German-made Leopard 2 tanks was postponed and the move did not amount to halting defense industry cooperation between the two countries.
A German government spokesman said earlier that center-right Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat, had agreed Berlin would not decide on the Turkish request before both party blocs had sealed a new coalition deal.
Gabriel said in a statement that arms exports would be a big topic for discussion in negotiations on forming a new German coalition government, due to begin on Friday.
