Norway lifts defence restrictions on Türkiye after 2019 ban

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide had a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, on September 11.

During the call, Oslo lifted the defence industry-related restrictions it had imposed on Türkiye since 2019, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media.

According to Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli, Fidan welcomed the decision and highlighted that these restrictions were inconsistent with the spirit of the alliance.

Norway, along with Finland, had previously imposed restrictions on Türkiye following Ankara's cross-border counterterrorism operations in Syria, targeting the YPG — a branch of the PKK terrorist group. The YPG has been a partner of the United States in the fight against Daesh, and Norway, like the U.S., is a NATO ally of Türkiye.

Prior to Norway's decision, Türkiye had already experienced a reduction in defence imports due to restrictions from Finland and the Netherlands. However, Türkiye has made significant strides in developing its own defence capabilities, including unmanned aerial vehicles and infantry rifles.

Despite maintaining strong economic and commercial relations, the defence restrictions had been a point of contention. The relationship was further strained by a 2021 diplomatic incident when the Norwegian ambassador, along with other envoys, called for the release of a suspect linked to the 2013 Gezi Park protests in Türkiye. Nonetheless, Türkiye praised Norway for recognizing the State of Palestine in May, aligning with a few European countries.

While Türkiye is increasingly self-reliant in defence, it continues to seek to mend relations with allies that have blocked its defence procurements, such as the United States, which has hindered Türkiye’s acquisition of F-35 fighter jets, and Germany, which has been slow in finalizing a Eurofighter deal.