Hürriyet: Athens–Berlin “bargaining” over U212 CD submarines – Ankara reportedly asked for the same, built at Gölcük

The Turkish newspaper Hürriyet devotes a Sunday, October 18 report to the contacts between Athens and Berlin on the new submarines of the Hellenic Navy, titled “Bargaining for submarines on the Athens–Berlin axis”. The report, by correspondent Duygu Leloğlu, claims that Turkey has approached the German government and is asking for the same new-generation submarines that interest Greece. The paper cites no official source for the claim, only “Greek press reports”.

According to Hürriyet, Ankara “sounded out” Berlin and proposed that part of the construction be done at the Gölcük Naval Shipyard Command, where the German-designed Turkish submarines are built. The paper notes that Athens, within the framework of Nikos Dendias’s new defence doctrine, is trying to stop the countries it cooperates with in defence from also selling weapons and military systems to Turkey. It also recalls that in 2020 Greece asked Germany to stop the sale of Type 214 submarines to Turkey, arguing that it would upset the balance in the Aegean, a request Berlin did not accept.

What was actually said in Crete

On the meeting of Dendias and Pistorius in Crete, the Turkish paper writes that the future submarine needs of the Greek fleet and the German Type 212 CD were discussed, that the German minister said the submarines could also be built in Greece, but also that there is no purchase agreement yet. According to Hürriyet, discussions on the options for the new procurement, which Athens plans for after 2030, are expected to start after the 2027 elections. Also on the table were joint military training, the presence of German military personnel in Greece and the IRIS-T SLS air defence missiles Athens is interested in. We recorded Pistorius’s statements on the U212 CD from the October 14 meeting.

The German Ministry of Defence, in its announcement on the Spartan Arrow 2026 exercise at the Crete Missile Range, confirms the meeting of the two ministers and says they agreed to deepen the exchange of views on how they react to current developments. “I am glad to have Greece as a reliable partner and ally at our side,” Pistorius said. The announcement does not refer to submarines or to Turkey. The claim of a Turkish request to Berlin has not been confirmed by any government.

Hürriyet closes with Greek armaments, writing that Athens is allocating 30 billion euros for defence over the next decade, is buying F-35s from the US and Rafales and frigates from France, and recently signed a 3.5 billion euro agreement with Washington for munitions and in August a 3 billion euro agreement with Israel for the “Achilles Shield”. For the submarines, Greece is also considering the French proposal for the Blacksword Barracuda.