Denmark reverses policy, resumes arms export to Saudi Arabia, UAE

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Mar 2023 14:05
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The Danish Foreign Minister tries to justify his country's decision to resume weapons export to Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen at an EU meeting in Brussels, Jan. 23, 2023 (Reuters)

Denmark on Thursday decided to reverse its policy of halting arms exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the war on Yemen and the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In 2018, Denmark banned arms exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Attempting to justify the disappointing decision, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told the Danish newspaper Politiken that "the perfect world is a world that didn’t need weapons at all. Now we live in the real world."

He added, "You can be a country that is problematic in our eyes and still have legitimate security interests. And my line is that our line should be in the same place as other European countries."

However, even when the ban was imposed, Danish arms manufacturer Terma kept supplying the UAE with radar and missile defense systems, which were later used in the war on Yemen, the Middle East Monitor revealed in 2020.

The report highlighted that Terma's exports to the UAE assisted the Emirati air force's shelling of some Yemeni regions by supplying a security system for Archangel fighters.

According to Danish media, the military hardware was used to block cargo ships carrying emergency aid from reaching Yemen's coast, making Denmark complicit in the war against the Yemeni people.

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"The Emirates is deeply involved in the blockade of Yemen. The blockade has had catastrophic consequences for the civilian population and is contributing to extensive famine because food and medicine supplies cannot enter the country," Trine Christensen, General Secretary of Amnesty International in Denmark, told reporters at the time.

Rasmussen claimed that the Danish Foreign Ministry will conduct yearly analyses and security assessments to prevent Danish weaponry from being used against its population or in wars where "the countries in question engage inappropriately."

"We must find a balance that ensures that the Danish defense industry has the same opportunities to participate in international competition, create jobs and development as the others – and at the same time stand guard over some basic principles," the Danish official indicated.

He noted that the decision was made in accordance with Denmark's new foreign policy doctrine, which advocates for "pragmatic idealism" or "pragmatic realism".