An Iris-T missile defense system is located on the Diehl Defense company premises in Überlingen.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin Despite extensive export restrictions, the federal government approved the delivery of armaments to Saudi Arabia in the first half of 2023, albeit only on a small scale. By June 30, three export licenses with a total value of 893,550 euros were issued, as the Federal Ministry of Economics announced at the request of Left Party MP Sevim Dagdelen. The approvals only affected joint projects with EU and NATO partners.
The former federal government of Union and SPD had largely stopped arms exports to the desert state, which was ruled with an iron fist, partly because of its involvement in the Yemen war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Consulate General in Istanbul in 2018. However, she allowed exceptions for joint projects with alliance partners and made use of them again and again. The traffic light government of the SPD, Greens and FDP is now continuing this practice.
In her first year of government, 2022, she approved the delivery of armaments to Saudi Arabia for 44.2 million euros – as much as not since 2018. In the first half of 2023, the permits decreased significantly again.
On the other hand, the scope of approved arms exports for other countries on the Arabian Peninsula was significantly higher than for Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates, which is also part of the Saudi-led war alliance in support of the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthi rebels, has been granted 30 export licenses worth 59.7 million euros. Deliveries were allowed to Qatar for 7.2 million euros, to Kuwait for 6.8 million euros, to Oman for 4.1 million euros and to Bahrain for 1.2 million euros.
The left-wing foreign expert Dagdelen sharply criticized the export permits. “It is a disgrace how the traffic light government is breaking promise after promise and fattening the Yemen war by supplying arms to authoritarian Gulf states instead of developing peace initiatives with Middle Eastern countries,” she said.
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