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The German government has reportedly authorized the export of weapons systems and military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in order to reach a favorable energy deal with the two Gulf states amid Berlin’s huge energy crisis.
Since 2018, Germany has banned arms exports to the UAE and Saudi Arabia because of their involvement in the war in Yemen, and accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the assassination of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It allegedly happened at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey.
However, in the face of a severe energy crisis, the German government decided to approve arms exports to the two Gulf countries shortly before Chancellor Olaf Schultz’s visit to the Gulf, report The Mirror, September 29.
📷: German Chancellor Olaf Schultz has arrived in Saudi Arabia on September 24, 2022, for a two-day three-nation visit aimed at striking new energy deals and forging new alliances. pic.twitter.com/1KGeXqcPnJ
— Voice of America (@VOANews) September 24, 2022
According to reports, the purpose of Schultz’s trip is to secure energy imports. earlier report Also by Der Spiegel.
Prior to the trip, the German federal government had stressed that it had not approved the delivery of goods to Saudi Arabia since taking office.
However, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck later confirmed in a letter to the Bundestag that the chancellor and his top ministers had approved several agreements just days before his trip.
According to Spiegel, Harbeck’s letter contained a list of export licenses from various countries approved by the Federal Security Council.
Saudi Arabia’s export license includes a European arms program in which German industry is also involved. For example, German companies can now sell equipment and weapons for the Eurofighter Typhoon and Panavia Tornado fighter jets to Saudi Arabia for up to 36.1 million euros.
So far, Saudi Arabia has only been able to buy these defense materials from Britain, and its partner countries have criticized Germany for restricting the kingdom in a joint arms program.
This is because the UK and France see arms exports to conflict zones or authoritarian states as relatively unproblematic and necessary to refinance the huge development costs of these projects.
The UAE’s license is also linked to one of the joint projects, the Airbus A330 MRTT multipurpose transport/tanker aircraft, as part of which the UAE can now import spare parts from German manufacturer Kappa Opto Electronics for 1.3 million euros.
Saudi Arabia can also buy parts for its tankers from the same manufacturer, with a slightly higher budget of 1.5 million euros.
Energy crisis forces Germany to act
The aftermath of the Ukrainian war appears to have forced the German government to take positions that until recently were considered conflicting.
Russia’s decision to cut oil and gas supplies to Europe following its invasion of Ukraine has pushed up prices on the continent, with Germany bearing the brunt.
Inflation in Germany rose to 10.9% in September from 8.8% in August. Flash estimation Published by the Federal Statistical Office on September 29.
This is the first time since 1952 that German inflation has reached double-digit levels. Energy prices surged 43.9%, compared with a 35.6% rise in August, while food prices rose 18.7%, compared with a 16.6% gain a month earlier.
Private households are already bracing for big increases in their heating bills as they face harsh winters with limited energy supplies.
as reported earlier The German government has turned off lights on monuments in the capital Berlin to save electricity, EurAsia Info reported.
Some of Berlin’s most famous landmarks look much darker on these summer nights. That’s because they turned off the lights, part of Germany’s efforts to save as much energy as possible ahead of winter. pic.twitter.com/kzjr1v5sVA
— DW Global Ideas & Environment (@dw_environment) August 1, 2022
At the same time, many German companies have been forced to reduce or even shut down their operations entirely due to soaring gas prices.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany relied on Russia for 55 percent of its gas supplies, and so far it has managed to reduce that to 35 percent.
Ultimately, Berlin plans to bring its imports down to zero by importing natural gas from other countries. Prime Minister Scholz’s recent visit to the Gulf region and permission to export arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE appear to be part of the plan.
However, the latest export license has been heavily criticized by the country’s opposition.
“Criminal arms exports to Saudi Arabia show the true face of an alleged value-based foreign policy indicting the brutal crown prince and murdered journalist Mohammed bin Salman, who is fighting the Yemeni civilians are waging war and suppressing all opposition. His own country,” said Sevem Dudren, a Bundestag representing the “Left Party”.
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