Sawt Falasteen - Turkey, UK sign $11 bn Eurofighter deal as Starmer visits

"This is a really significant deal, because it's £8 billion ($10.7 billion) worth of orders... these are jobs that will last for 10 years, making the (Eurofighter) Typhoons, so really big for our country," Starmer said.

Britain's defence ministry described the order, which would involve 20 Eurofighters, as the "biggest fighter jet deal in a generation", saying it would strengthen Turkey's combat capabilities and bolster "NATO's strength in a key region".

"The UK will provide Turkey with 20 new Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, with the option to provide more in the future," Starmer after signing the agreement.

The deal would "bolster security across NATO, deepen our bilateral defence cooperation, and boost economic growth here and in the United Kingdom, securing 20,000 British jobs, building these state-of-the-art fighter jets," he said.

"I am proud that British Typhoons will form a vital part of the Turkish air force for many years to come, as you defend NATO's south-eastern flank for the good of all."

Erdogan hailed the agreement as "a new symbol of the strategic relations" with Britain.

He thanked the other members of the Eurofighter consortium for their "constructive approach".

But the high-profile visit was clouded by a spying scandal which erupted late on Sunday, after a Turkish court charged Istanbul's jailed opposition mayor with espionage over his links to a Turkish businessman allegedly spying for Britain.

Neither side commented on the affair, which dominated the headlines in Turkey on Monday morning.

Starmer arrived with his Defence Minister John Healey and Air Chief Marshall Harv Smyth, the head of Britain's air force, who were welcomed by their Turkish counterparts, Turkey's defence ministry said.

Two of the Eurofighter jets were already in Turkey, a Turkish security source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press.

Ankara has been looking to modernise its air force and pushing to acquire 40 of the European-made fighter aircraft, which are jointly produced by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Negotiations with London gained pace after Germany in July lifted its veto on the sale over Ankara's hardline stance on the Gaza war.

"Turkey and the Eurofighter is quite the saga," Aaron Stein, head of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told AFP, saying Ankara had turned down an offer to join the European consortium building the jets, focusing instead on the US fighter jet programme.

"Ankara was invited to join the consortium or become an equal member a few times but they chose the F-35," he said.

After Washington booted Ankara out of its F-35 fighter programme in 2019 over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system, Turkey turned its attention to Europe.

- Qatari leader's visit -

Last week, Erdogan held talks in Doha with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, with Turkey floating plans to acquire some of its Eurofighters.

Qatar ordered 24 Eurofighters in 2017, with the last two due to be delivered this year. It moved to acquire 12 more late last year, observers said.

Any such move would likely be part of the deal with London, which would have to grant its approval for a transfer, analysts said.

The Qatari leader is in Ankara on Tuesday for talks to clarify certain outstanding issues, the Turkish official said.

The two Eurofighter jets delivered to Turkey on Monday were likely to be those that had been destined for Qatar, Stein said.

Instead of being sent to Doha, "they'll simply be shipped to Turkey," he explained.

Gaza's future was also likely to feature in talks between Erdogan and Starmer, with Turkey keen to join an international stabilisation force -- an idea opposed by Israel.

G.AbuHamad--SF-PST