What is behind the German missile agreement with Saudi Arabia?

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, Stuttgarter newspaper In an article, Nakhrishtan of Germany discussed the behind the curtain of the recent missile agreement between the German government and Saudi Arabia, justifying that Riyadh plays an effective role in the Middle East war, and raised the question, what is really behind the contract of Eurofighter missiles between Germany and Saudi Arabia?

This article continues: The German federal government praises Riyadh for its positions in the Middle East conflict and cancels the ban on the delivery of fighter planes to this country. But there are also clear economic interests behind this decision for Berlin.

This is a controversial deal. Germany recently lifted the ban on the export of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. This allows the Saudis to purchase 54 Eurofighter jets from Germany. This is of course a controversial issue in Germany. “Ricarda Lang”, the leader of the German Green Party, said: “I think it is right if we stick to the position that no fighters will be handed over to Saudi Arabia.

But the German federal government ignored such objections and on Wednesday, approved the delivery of Eurofighter missiles to Saudi Arabia. The official reason for this is the constructive role of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East conflict. In this way, Saudi Arabia, as Israel’s ally Germany, is now allowed to buy European weapons. This is part of the truth. But some important motives for lifting the ban on this arms deal do not come from Riyadh, but from Berlin and Brussels.

The issue should be looked at a decade and a half into the future. The German army is to receive a new combat aircraft from 2040. This system is called Future Combat Air System (FCAS). This aircraft is being developed together with France and Spain, and it aims to be nothing less than the most modern fighter aircraft in the world.

FCAS is supposed to replace the Eurofighter fighters. to be in the German Air Force. But the last Eurofighter ordered is scheduled to be delivered in 2030. According to the German defense industry, there is currently a gap in the process of ordering these fighters between 2030 and 2040.

The order of more than 50 of these fighters from Saudi Arabia can help close this gap with a price of around 120 million euros. “Andreas Schwartz, the budget politician of the Social Democratic Party, who is responsible for the budget of the Ministry of Defense, said: This is a relief for the local industry, which needs more orders and planning security. According to him, if there is a gap in the orders, Knowledge and employees will be lost.

But according to him, this is not enough for the industry. He wants Germany to buy additional Eurofighters in an improved version to develop and More research should be done and the new project will benefit from this research.

The German Aerospace Industry Association also warns that without further orders, the risk of losing jobs, income “There is a tax and, in particular, advanced technologies and skills in our industry that have been built up over decades. The government coalition in Germany puts it even more strongly, saying: “We need more orders for the Eurofighter – otherwise FCAS is dead.”

Another reason for this permission to sell to Saudi Arabia is to appease other European partners. Officially, the deal with Riyadh is done through the British government. to be But since large parts of the Eurofighter are built in Germany, the German federal government has a say, and some say even a veto. In the past, the British were unhappy with Berlin’s restrictive export policy.

German Federal Economy Minister Robert Haubeck also announced the change in Berlin’s approach on Wednesday during a trip to Saudi Arabia. gave and emphasized: Saudis should not be drawn into the arms of China.

German Federal Minister of Economy Robert Haubeck visited Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday. In a statement, Habak justified the federal government’s decision to deliver 150 missiles to Saudi Arabia to arm fighter jets. He declined to comment directly on the decision due to the confidentiality of the agreement. However, he noted that two considerations play a role in all decisions: on the one hand, the question of whether other partners, such as Ukraine, do not have a “more pressing need” and whether the weapons in question “are useful in a world that has become more complex.” It is used to help protect, de-escalate or stabilize.

According to the German ARD report, Haback also said that Saudi Arabia is the main player in the region, without which progress cannot be made. In some cases it is hardly possible. Habak emphasized: The federal government knows that Saudi Arabia is also needed as an anchor of stability in the region. According to him, Saudi Arabia is making serious efforts to achieve peace in Yemen as well as in the war in the Gaza Strip. The role of Saudi Arabia has changed. On the controversial issue of human rights, Habak said that this issue always plays a role in discussions. However, it is unclear if he made any specific comments.

Haback also sees signs of real change. He said: The country is changing and in the modernization stage. This can be seen in the fact that women are now significantly involved in society and the world of work in this country, and Saudi Arabia also plays a different role in interacting with foreign policy than it did a few years ago.

However, the West is currently trying to reintegrate Saudi Arabia into its alliance.