The Norwegian Government Has Lifted Defense Industry Restrictions On Turkey
Norway has decided to lift defense export restrictions against Turkey, which have existed for nearly five years. The decision, which represents an important step towards easing strained relations between Turkey and its NATO allies, was announced by Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli following a telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide on 11 September.
In a statement on his X account, Oncu Keceli stated that Minister Eide informed Hakan Fidan during the phone call that the defense industry restrictions imposed by his country against Turkey in 2019 were lifted. The spokesperson also stated that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed his satisfaction with the decision and congratulated the decision, saying that such restrictions are not in line with the spirit of the Alliance.
Norwegian Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Ane Jorem confirmed Keceli’s remarks in a statement to Al-Monitor, the leading independent news agency in the Middle East, and stated: “It is now possible to apply for a license for the export of defense-related products and dual-use goods for military end-use in Turkey.”
Norway has decided to follow in the footsteps of other NATO countries and impose an embargo on Ankara in 2019 in response to the cross-border operation launched by the Turkish Armed Forces together with the Free Syrian Army against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under the name Operation Peace Spring. The main reason for this problem between the allies is that Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organization due to its ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). In contrast, most allies recognize the Syrian Democratic Forces as an ally against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
This attitude towards Turkey within the Alliance changed significantly during the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. Initially, Ankara opposed the two Scandinavian countries’ requests to join the bloc and frequently emphasized that it would not back down if some of its demands, notably the lifting of arms embargoes, were not met. After protracted negotiations, Turkey approved Finland’s offer in March 2023 and Sweden’s in January. In return, the defense industry restrictions imposed on Ankara by Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the Netherlands were lifted.
Although most arms and defense industry restrictions on Turkey have been lifted, the diplomatic environment remains complex. The fact that the US, France, and Germany attitudes towards Turkey have softened somewhat recently but largely persist suggests that the road to full normalization within the Alliance may be longer than anticipated.