Turkey ‘priority market’ for UK arms exports The Government is facing calls to remove Turkey from a newly published list of countries identified by officials as “priority […]

The Government is facing calls to remove Turkey from a newly published list of countries identified by officials as “priority markets” for Britain’s £12bn defence industry.

Turkey is one of 35 nations pinpointed by Whitehall as potentially lucrative markets for weaponry and security equipment sales by British companies as part of a dramatic expansion of efforts to boost arms sales in the wake of the Brexit vote.

New additions to the list include Thailand, which was the subject of a military coup in 2014. Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of human rights violations during its ongoing military campaign in Yemen and is one of Britain’s biggest defence customers, also remains on the list.

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Uncertain situation

The document was drawn up by the Defence and Security Organisation, the arm of the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) agency responsible for promoting arms sales, prior to the failed military coup in Turkey this weekend.

But campaigners said the uncertain situation in the Mediterranean country meant further sales of weaponry or defence equipment were untenable and a ban should be placed on exports as well as the launch of an investigation in whether UK-made arms were used in the attempt to overthrow Turkish president Recep Erdogan.

Britain has given the go ahead for the export to Turkey of weaponry worth £550m since 2010, including missiles, machine guns, targeting equipment and helicopter parts.

Andrew Smith, of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), said: “The political situation in Turkey is very fragile, with an unstable and authoritarian government in conflict with its military. The last thing the situation needs is more weapons. The UK government should be investigating if weapons it licensed were used in a last week’s coup attempt, not selling even more.”

£11.9bn defence exports

The priority markets list, released to Parliament last week, represents a significant expansion in the number of countries being targeted for promotional activity in support of Britain’s arms and security industry, which secured exports worth £11.9bn in 2014.

Britain comes second only to the United States in securing the largest chunk of the global market in defence and security equipment worth a total of £50bn a year. The priority markets list is not directly linked to Brexit plans but the defence sector is one of the strongest performing in British industry and is likely to be at the core of the Government’s efforts to offset the costs of leaving the European Union by boosting international trade. Each sale of weaponry or security equipment abroad must first obtain government approval in the form of an export licence.

Among the new countries added to the register are potentially big spending customers such as Brunei, India and Singapore, alongside more traditionally lucrative markets for UK manufacturers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Human rights warnings

Human rights groups and MPs have previously warned that Britain risks diluting its commitment to ensuring weaponry is not used to target civilians or for internal repression as companies seek sales in an increasingly competitive environment. In the wake of the military coup in Thailand in 2014, the Government criticised the use of force by the Thai army but allowed arms sales to continue on a “case by case basis”.

The Government is also facing calls to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia from across the political spectrum, including the European Parliament, and aid groups over allegations that the oil-rich kingdom has committed human rights violations during its ongoing air campaign in Yemen.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) earlier this month called for Saudi Arabia to be suspended from the UN Human Rights Council for infractions claimed to include bombings of civilian targets including two hospitals run by Medecins Sans Frontieres. A report published by HRW last week said its researchers had found the remains of British-made Paveway IV bombs used to destroy civilian targets in Yemen. Saudi Arabia insists it has complied with human rights law.

Britain has licensed more than £2.8bn of weaponry for export to Saudi Arabia since the kingdom began its military operation in March 2015. The equipment includes bombs and air-to-surface rocket components as well as a £1.7bn deal for combat aircraft.

Campaigners last month won a judicial review of the Government’s refusal to suspend those and future exports for use in Yemen.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), which oversees arms sales licences, insisted that it operates “one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world”. A spokeswoman added: “Risks around human rights violations are a key part of our assessment and a licence will not be issued, to any destination, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the [export] criteria.”