The United Kingdom is not currently in talks with Turkey to support submarine shipbuilding, despite President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently suggesting otherwise.
During a speech in Istanbul on Tuesday, he said that “the UK wants to cooperate with us on the construction of submarines,” per a report from London based news website Middle East Eye. One source told the outlet specifically said the UK was “interested in joint-production of uncrewed submarines with Turkey.”
Erdogan did not share any details of how the potential partnership could work, nor clarify if joint production of shipbuilding is the intent. Regardless, his public comments appear to be out of step with the UK.
A spokesperson for the Royal Navy told Breaking Defense in a Wednesday statement that “no one knows anything of these [Turkish] discussions,” including teams from the UK’s Submarine Delivery Agency, Defence Nuclear Organisation and shipbuilder BAE Systems.
Read more: Breaking Defense
