Germany’s Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere says arms sales to the Arab littoral states of the Persian Gulf is aimed at protecting Israel.
The German minister’s remarks come at a time when his country has been strongly criticized for the dramatic increase in arms sales to Arab states like Saudi Arabia, despite their poor human rights record.
De Maiziere added that defending Israel against Iran is more important than the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.
According to a report published by the Munich-based Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on February 22, Germany’s weapons exports to the Arab states in the Persian Gulf reached 1.42 billion euros (USD1.88 billion) in 2012.
The report added that Saudi Arabia was the biggest buyer among the Persian Gulf states including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
According to another report published by the London-based Amnesty International, German weaponry including small firearms, ammunition and military vehicles have been massively deployed to the Middle East and North Africa to suppress peaceful protests.