- Germany edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Norway |
- Spain |
- Sweden |
- Switzerland
Saudi Arabia tops German arms trade list
Published: 22 Feb 13 08:37 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20130222-48129.html
German weapons exports to Persian Gulf states more than doubled between 2011 and 2012, with Saudi Arabia by far the biggest buyer, according to information dug up by a left-wing MP published in Friday's Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
- Opposition up in arms over Saudi weapons deal - National (10 Feb 13)
- Merkel to greenlight armoured vehicle deal - National (30 Dec 12)
- German taxes spent on training Saudi guards - National (23 Jul 12)
This was a huge increase from the 2011 figure of €570 million. The information was released by the Economy Ministry in response to a written parliamentary question submitted by the socialist Left party, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday.
The biggest arms customer of the region was Saudi Arabia which spent €1.24 billion in 2012 alone - nine times the amount it spent on German weapons the year before.
German business with Saudi Arabia is highly contentious because of the kingdom's poor domestic human rights record and its intervention in neighbouring Bahrain two years ago to help the government there put down protests.
"The Gulf states continue to arm themselves, and the government has absolutely no compunction about arming them to the teeth," said Jan van Aken, an MP from The Left party.
He said the fact that Saudi Arabia was by far the leading customer for the German arms export industry clearly showed "that the most grave human rights abuses are obviously no longer any reason to refuse exports."
The Local/hc
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Economists warn against German euro exit
While a third of Germans would rather pay with the old Deutsche mark than the euro, economists warn that a German exit from the currency union would result in a disaster. READ () »
Germany cool to France's EU economy plan
Germany said Friday that French President Francois Hollande's proposal for a eurozone economic government was "interesting" but reacted coolly to his call for strengthened European budgetary powers. READ () »
Au pairs rules relax for non-German families
Foreign families will soon be able to officially engage au pairs from outside the European Union, as long as they speak German at home, as the government prepares to change the law. READ () »
Germany refuses to slam French economic policy
Germany will not publicly criticize France over economic policy, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble insisted on Thursday, amid differences between Berlin and Paris over growth versus austerity in battling the eurozone debt crisis. READ () »
Capri-Sun drink wins false advertising award
A German food industry watchdog singled out drinks-maker Capri-Sun for its annual advertising "award" on Thursday, for what the group described as "shameless" marketing of sugary drinks to children. READ () »
Anaemic economy feels winter chill
The German economy, Europe's biggest, clocked up anaemic growth at the start of 2013 as the freezing winter weather put the brakes on activity, official data showed on Wednesday. READ () »
ThyssenKrupp bins 3,000 admin jobs
German heavy industry giant ThyssenKrupp said on Wednesday it plans to axe 3,000 administrative jobs worldwide as disastrous investments in steel operations overseas tore holes in its balance sheet in the second quarter. READ () »
Pay deal for metal workers averts strike
Germany's powerful union IG Metall agreed a pay deal with the metal industry's employers association early Wednesday, averting the threat of a major strike. READ () »
First ever strike hits Amazon's German unit
German employees of Amazon staged their first-ever walkouts on Tuesday as the US internet retail giant was hit by a dispute over pay. READ () »
Volkswagen plans giant car plant in China
German auto giant Volkswagen will build a plant in central China, a spokesman said Tuesday, as it battles US rival General Motors to be the top foreign automaker in the world's biggest car market. READ () »
- 13/05 Germany launches new job creation drive »
- 10/05 German giants dazzle Dax »
- 10/05 Netto pioneers mobile phone payments »
- 08/05 Court: gay and straight tax breaks must match »
- 08/05 BMW recalls 22,000 cars over airbag fault »
- 07/05 France tells Germany: we need growth too »
- 07/05 Germany 'lags behind on organic farming' »
- 06/05 Painter Baselitz raided in tax avoidance move »
- 06/05 Lufthansa hits turbulence over top job choice »
- 03/05 Most would increase tax on the wealthy »
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
Weiss Institut
Free yourself from Smoking addictions, Sugar craving and Alcohol addictions -
British Corner Shop
British Corner Shop - The online supermarket for expats -
PsyShrink Munich
The Expat Psychologists in Munich, Frankfurt and worldwide -
PsyShrink Frankfurt
The Expat Psychologists in Munich, Frankfurt and worldwide -
Chambervelt Rooselain & Cie Ltd.
Insurance and financial planning for English speakers in Germany -
Shiply Worldwide Ltd
Shiply the Online Transport Market Place
839 jobs available
625 new jobs this week
142 new jobs today
- Senior Pricing & Reimbursement Manager (m/f)
- Senior Market Research Manager (m/f)
- Regulatory Affairs Manager (f/m)
- Sales Desk Associate - Dutch, English, German
- Specialist Internal Communication (m/f)
- Divisional Finance Manager - Germany
- Financial Analyst
- Business Analyst - electronic Document Management System (eDMS)
- Marketing Manager Vehicle, Repair, Maintenance EMEA (m/w)
- Marketing Communications Manager Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul EMEA (m/w)
- 21/05 Ericsson probed over suspected bribes »
- 21/05 Warning over 'long-term' Swedish export slump »
- 20/05 'Lean hospital a sign of Swedish welfare reform' »
- 20/05 H&M mulls production in South America and Africa »
- 19/05 Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines »
- 17/05 'Sweden next in line for housing market crash' »
- 17/05 Solna voted best place to live in Sweden »
- 17/05 LinkedIn profile lands Swede with hefty tax bill »
- 16/05 India in no rush to open first Ikea store »
- 16/05 H&M CEO to Bangladesh: raise minimum wages »
- “Preserve the proven, shape the new” – the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart
For more than thirty years, Helmuth Rilling shaped the international Bach Academy; now he is succeeded by Hans-Christoph Rademann. - ‘Open Mike’ – Fireworks with the Buddha
The Berlin ‘Open Mike’ entered this year its twentieth edition. - On the Stage, the Spoken Word Prevails
In January 2013 the annual meeting of the Dramaturgical Society took place in Munich; its theme: “Speaking on Stage – and about Theatre”... - The Magician of Images – Klaus Ensikat
With the technique of an Old Master and subtle humour, the award-winning graphic designer and illustrator Klaus Ensikat has for fifty years produced ingenious illustrations for literary classics and children’s books.... - A Picture Every Day – Philip Waechter
Philip Waechter, son of the famous illustrator and cartoonist Friedrich Karl Waechter, is one of the best-known contemporary writers and illustrators of children’s books....
- Theatre festival between the Saar and the Mosel
The Festival Perspectives in the German-French region around Saarbrücken is staging European theatre, dance and music productions. - The European Year of Citizens
2013 is the European Year of Citizens. - Europe Day, Robert Schuman and Class 4a
Enthusiasm for the idea of Europe – in the 60th European Competition, schoolchildren from Germany show what this could look like. - Relief organizations
The portals presented here provide information on the help programs offered by different organizations.
- (Junior) Event Manager
- Design Engineer Aerospace in Toulouse
- Design Feasibility Engineer / Craftsmanship Engineer (m/f)
- Electrical Engineer Stationary Energy Storage
- Ph.D. student - Security & Privacy in Vehicular Communication
- Product Safety Engineer – Subsea Services
- Segment Manager Marketing (m/f)
- Accountant
- Flavour Chemistry Senior Scientist
- Junior Database Administrator SQL Server
- 19/05 Car Boot Sale Herford
- 17/05 paid internship
- 17/05 Florida resident seeks job in baden Baden Germany
- 17/05 Berlin Writing Group
- 17/05 cheap car hire
- 15/05 Queen size bed & frame
- 14:34 Working from home in Germany: pros and cons
- 14:31 Taking my daughter on holiday to Pakistan
- 14:20 Saying thanks, or simply acknowledging info given
- 14:15 The current weather in Munich
- 14:02 Why do air bubbles form under my wall paint?
- 13:33 A tale of domestic violence.
- 13:12 After Work Queer Beer - everyone is invited.
- 13:12 Medizinisch Psychologische Untersuchung - MPU
- 12:58 Is learning 'der die das' impossible?
- 12:23 Wedding anniversaries
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
'Charming, old, beamed cottage for holiday let in Jesus Pobre, Alicante, Spain
www.littlehouseinspain.com/
Professional and qualified consultancy on all insurance and finance matters in Germany, Telephone: +49 2163 571 1740, Email: bg@albatross-assurance.com
www.albatross-assurance.com
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Your comments about this article:
As to human rights abuses...I'm sure the US is one of the first and foremost to raise the issue of human rights abuses perpetrated by other countries throughout the world (but only to the politically expedient countries), but that hasn't prevented them from selling their most advanced military hardware and technology to Israel. I do believe there have been multitude of human rights abuses in that region for over 60 years.
Simple...it has to do with the Left Party objections of selling weapons to human rights abuse regions. The US has no problems with it, so why should Germany??
The sale or not the sale of military weapons to Saudi Arabia isn't going to make a hill of beans difference as to whether or not they will treat women equally to men or whether they will allow religious tolerance in their country.
They are not going to change in our lifetime because they have been doing this for the past 1432 years. It's ingrained in their culture and deep religious beliefs. Furthermore, they don't have to react to or feel intimidated by Western human rights pressures because they are sitting on a big fat pot of black gold, and as we all know that the golden rule applies. Let's just hope that these folks don't keep buying up German companies.
Yes it does. They use those weapons to oppress their own people and people in other countries. Haven't you been following the Arab Spring?
"They are not going to change in our lifetime because they have been doing this for the past 1432 years"
yes, a little bit of ahistorical racism never goes astray when you want to profit from other people's misery
There are other concerns as well, Irans nuclear ambitions and threats to close the straights of Hormuz,the Iranians are mostly Shiite and the Saudis mostly Sunni, The Shiite have been trying to become the regions super power.Nato is turning a blind eye to human rights in the kingdom for regional stability, by keeping the Theocratic Dictatorship a counter balance to Islamic Republic.
Of course profit and unemployment are factors, Sad, that Human Rights takes a back seat to politics and I doubt that will change either.
As for the Saudi's, their relationship with German arms producers goes back to the 1960's, although they do not always pay their bills. There exists an H&K MP5 Submachine Gun built for a member of the Saudi Royal family, heavily engraved and gold inlaid with elephant ivory grips. Not sure if it was ever delivered. I do know that the 70+ H&K P9S pistols built for a Saudi government ministry were never delivered due to lack of payment, I have one in my collection and they turn up every no and again on the German civilian market.
German arms sellers should insist on payment in advance with these guys.
On another, but related note, care to guess what the most popular book originally written in German is in Arab countries? :D