By George Allison –
The United Kingdom has refuted claims that it is involved in discussions with Turkey regarding submarine production cooperation.
This comes after Turkish President Erdogan made a statement earlier this week, asserting that the UK was interested in partnering with Turkey on the construction of submarines.
During a speech in Istanbul on Tuesday, President Erdogan revealed that “the UK wants to cooperate with us on the construction of submarines”. The London-based news outlet Middle East Eye further quoted an anonymous source, who confirmed London’s interest in collaborating with Turkey on uncrewed submarine production.
However, contrary to President Erdogan’s remarks, Breaking Defense reported that a spokesperson for the Royal Navy denied any knowledge of such discussions taking place with Turkey.
A spokesperson for the Royal Navy told Breaking Defense in a Wednesday statement here that “no one knows anything of these [Turkish] discussions,” including teams from the UK’s Submarine Delivery Agency, Defence Nuclear Organisation and shipbuilder BAE Systems.
It is worth noting that, in recent years, defence ties between London and Ankara have strengthened considerably, particularly in the aerospace sector. BAE Systems has agreed to work on the TF-X future fighter jet project. In addition, leading industry competitors such as Britain’s Rolls Royce and Kale Group have shown interest in providing engines for the aircraft, with production anticipated to begin by 2025.
