Britain has strongly objected to Germany’s recent decision to bar arms and military cooperation deals with Saudi Arabia, warning that the new policy damages Berlin’s security commitments while adversely affecting the British military industry.
Germany announced in November that it would no longer issue arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia following the Riyadh regime’s murdering of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The ban was first seen as nothing but a symbolic move as Germany accounted for just under two percent of Saudi Arabia’s total arms imports. However, it raised concerns among British arms makers who rely heavily on German parts for their products.
German magazine Der Spiegel reported Tuesday that British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt had raised the issue in a letter to his German counterpart, Heiko Maas.
“I am very concerned about the impact of the German government’s decision on the British and European defense…