Dutch Government removes arms export restrictions to turkey

The Dutch government withdrew arms export restrictions against Turkey, more than three years after it tightened sales following Ankara’s military incursion into northern Syria. 

The Netherlands said last week that it seeks to join a Franco-German-Spanish treaty on arms export controls that promotes European defense cooperation, which would lift the current limitations on its arms sales to Turkey.

The decision comes on the heels of Turkey agreeing to support Sweden’s NATO bid after months of negotiations. Arm export restrictions were also lifted on the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. 

Erdogan Hints Turkey to Ratify Sweden's NATO Bid in Few Months 

The Dutch government had in 2019 suspended arms exports to Turkey and amended the policy two years later to assess applications on the basis of presumption of denial, which refers to a policy where a license for the export of arms would be issued by the Dutch government only if it could be incontrovertibly demonstrated that the goods would not be used in Syria. 

Despite the abolition of the policy, the Netherlands said it will continue to monitor that Dutch arms were not used in conflicts in northern Syria or Yemen.