Italy to bar future weapons exports to Turkey

Italy said it would join a ban on selling weapons and ammunition to Ankara after a weekend decision by France and Germany to suspend sales, and Spain signaled it was ready to do so.

With a host of other countries including the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden halting such exports, the EU’s collective position was mainly aimed at avoiding a legally-binding embargo on Turkey, a longtime candidate to join the bloc.

“A ministerial decree will in the next few hours stop the export of arms to Turkey in the case of future contracts” Di Maio said after an EU foreign ministers summit in Luxembourg.

Last saturday the first ATR-72ASW (MT62296) for Turkish Navy made its first flight around Turin with the full livery. According to Di Maio declarations (ban only on future contracts), therefore , it should be finally delivered to Turkey in the next weeks.