Germany backed a freeze on arms exports to Saudi Arabia over the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi. Berlin is now calling on the entire European Union to follow suit.
Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel said on October 21 that arms exports to Saudi Arabia “can’t take place in the situation we’re currently in.”
As reported by the Associated Press (AP), her government and others in Europe have said the kingdom’s explanation so far of what happened to Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul is insufficient.
Speaking to ZDF television on October 22, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, whose ministry is responsible for authorising weapons exports, said: “we won’t, at this point, approve any further arms exports because we want to know what happened”.
“For me, it is important to reach a joint European position … because only if all European countries agree will this make an impression on the government in Riyadh,” Altmaier said.
According to AP, however, it is not clear if the German government will also block arms exports to Saudi Arabia that it previously approved.
