Germany to continue halting arms exports to Saudi Arabia
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The German news agency says that Chancellor Olaf Scholz's new government intends to continue the halt without clarifying if there are exceptions.
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Germany to continue halting arms exports to Saudi Arabia.
The German news agency has reported on Friday that the German Ministry of Economy divulged the new German government intends to continue the halt of arms exports to Saudi Arabia in 2022.
The ministry disclosed that the "Yemen-clause" in the ruling coalition agreement will apply to Saudi Arabia.
The clause stipulates against issuing permits to export weapons to countries proven to be "directly participating in the war in Yemen" will apply to Saudi Arabia.
Although a question remains hanging: Will Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government allow exceptions for joint projects with allied countries like Merkel's government?
After the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, the Merkel administration announced it will completely halt arms sales to the kingdom.
However, exceptions for jointly produced weapons were possible: Projects with NATO partners such as Britain and France are still permissible.
In 2019, Merkel's government decided to extend the suspension of arms exports to Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing war on Yemen.
The sale of German arms to Riyadh was a point of contention for some time between the conservatives and Social Democrats in Germany due to the ruling coalition agreement.
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