German government approves arms exports to Saudi Arabia

The decision defies a 2018 ban over Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Yemen war. Deals were reportedly approved before Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to the region last weekend.

Germany’s coalition government has approved new arms export deals to Saudi Arabia, media reported on Thursday.

The reports emerged after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.

Berlin had imposed a ban on weapons exports to Riyadh over its involvement in the war in Yemen, as well as accusations of murdering the dissident US-Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

New export licenses

Robert Habeck, Germany’s economy minister and vice chancellor, confirmed in a letter to the Bundestag that several deals on arms exports had been approved by Scholz before his trip to the region, Der Spiegel and the dpa news agency reported.

The export licenses are part of a joint program with Italy, Spain and Britain, according to the letter.

Riyadh will be able to purchase equipment and ammunition for Eurofighter and Tornado jets worth €36 million ($35.2 million), according to Der Spiegel.

The European cooperation project will also supply spare parts for the Airbus A330 MRTT worth €2.8 million, dpa reported.

This is an excerpt from article first published on the Deutsche Welle website – click here to read full story.

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