Dhe traffic light government has given the go-ahead for the delivery of equipment and ammunition for fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, despite an extensive export ban. This emerges from a letter from Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) to the Economic Committee in the Bundestag, which is available to the German Press Agency in Berlin. The export permits are therefore part of a joint program with Italy, Spain and Great Britain.
For the first time since the beginning of their term in office, the government of the SPD, Greens and FDP is making use of an exemption for the export ban to the highly controversial customer Saudi Arabia.
The equipment and ammunition for the Eurofighter and Tornado is worth 36 million euros. As part of a European cooperation project, spare parts for the Airbus A330 MRTT worth 2.8 million euros would also be supplied.
The former federal government largely stopped arms exports to Saudi Arabia, partly because of the kingdom’s involvement in the Yemen war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 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.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz was a guest in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The country is one of the most important energy exporters worldwide.
The left-wing foreign expert Sevim Dagdelen sharply criticized the permits. The chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee called the exports “criminal”. “Obviously all inhibitions about arming authoritarian regimes and feeding wars around the world have been lost,” Dagdelen said.
