Turkey bans Swiss from defense contracts

ANKARA, Turkey, April 11 (UPI) — Ankara has barred a Swiss aircraft
producer from tendering for a contract to supply the Turkish Air Force
with trainer planes, citing political reasons.

Defense officials said Pilatus, a Stans-based manufacturer of small
aircraft, had been forbidden from bidding for the $500 million
contract because of a diplomatic row between the two countries,
Turkish Daily News reported.

“There is an understanding that Swiss bidders should not join Turkish
military contracts,” a senior official said. “We don’t think Swiss
contenders would be reliable partners in defense contracts.”

Bilateral relations between the two countries were severely strained
by the Swiss parliament’s 2003 adoption of a resolution condemning the
Ottoman Empire’s “genocide” of Armenians during the First World War.

A 1991 arms embargo on Turkey was lifted by Bern last year. However,
Ankara seems determined to keep the Swiss defense industry on its red
list. Turkey last year removed South Africa from its red list of
countries that cannot participate in defense procurement contracts,
while opening up towards European Union defense industries.

There are currently three international bidders involved in the
procurement of the jet trainers: Brazil’s Embraer, Korea Aerospace
Industries and U.S. company Raytheon.