Despite extensive export restrictions, the federal government approved the delivery of armaments to Saudi Arabia for 44.2 million euros last year – more than at any time since 2018. This emerges from a response from the Ministry of Economic Affairs to a request from Left-wing MP Sevim Dagdelen, which is available to the German Press Agency. It points out that these are exclusively exports for joint projects with other EU or NATO countries.
A total of 48 permits were issued for Saudi Arabia. War weapons account for 7.1 million euros of the export volume, and other armaments for 37.1 million. These include supplies for Tornado and Eurofighter fighter jets, which are manufactured in Great Britain. In addition, the federal government allowed the US to export combat ship components worth 40.8 million euros to Saudi Arabia, which originally came from Germany.
The former federal government had largely stopped arms exports to the desert state, which was ruled with an iron fist, partly because of the kingdom’s involvement in the Yemen war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate general in Istanbul in 2018. However, the government of the Union and the SPD allowed exceptions for joint projects with alliance partners – and made use of them again and again. However, not as strong as the traffic light government of the SPD, Greens and FDP in their first year in office.
Law is intended to restrict arms exports to third countries
In 2019, the black-red government approved arms exports for 0.8 million euros, in 2020 for 30.8 million euros and in 2021 for 2.5 million euros. The traffic light government has now increased export permits to 44.2 million in 2022. An arms export law is currently being drawn up in the Economics Ministry headed by Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens). The original aim was to significantly restrict arms exports to third countries.
The left-wing foreign expert Sevim Dagdelen sharply criticized the export permits. “The fact that the traffic light government is undeterred and continuously approves its own arms deliveries and arms exports to Saudi Arabia via third countries, even though the head-on dictatorship is responsible for the Yemen war with almost 400,000 deaths, is criminal and illustrates what the Greens mean by value-based, feminist understand foreign policy.”
