A German government official said on ​Monday that if Canada chose to ‌order German submarines over South Korean ones in a current contract battle, it would be ​a good starting point for strategic ​cooperation and bring Ottawa closer to ⁠Europe for decades.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney ​will announce the preferred bidder on Monday, shortly ​before he heads to a NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, the Globe and Mail reported on Sunday.

Berlin ​would welcome a positive signal in ​the context of the NATO summit that starts ‌on Tuesday, said the official, adding: “This would have a genuine transatlantic dimension.”

The two contenders for the contract for 12 submarines are German warship ​builder TKMS, ​along with ⁠partner Norway, and South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean.

German Chancellor Friedrich ​Merz has invested a great deal ​of ⁠political effort towards the deal in recent weeks and months, added the German official.

“We’ll ⁠see ​in the coming days ​whether this effort bears fruit.”