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(Bloomberg) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to relax military export restrictions to entice more business from Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
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“If we see reliable cooperation partners, such as here in Qatar today, or yesterday in Saudi Arabia, then these countries can rely on us to work more intensively on defense cooperation than in recent years,” Merz told reporters in Doha, his latest stop on a three-day trip to the Gulf region. “This is in our mutual interest, because we want to ensure that the world becomes safer, and it will only become safer if we defend ourselves.”
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Selling military goods to Gulf countries, especially to Saudi Arabia, is a sensitive issue in Germany because of human rights concerns and the Saudis’ ongoing conflict with Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen.
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Yet Germany has been reconsidering its hesitance in recent years as Europe looks to boost its defense industry. Merz’s predecessor, the Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, has already eased restrictions on exporting European fighter jets, known as the Eurofighter.
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Merz made clear that this “does not mean that we will now deliver all military equipment to all countries completely unchecked.” Instead, he said, “individual case reviews will remain in place.”
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The chancellor met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday before flying to Doha and Abu Dhabi on Thursday. In addition to defense, Merz is eager to strengthen Gulf ties on energy.
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Merz has been accompanied on the trip by a business delegation, including the heads of defense contractors Airbus and Diehl Defence, as well as energy firm Uniper.
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