- Jeremy Hunt says Berlin鈥檚 halt in arms sales to KSA will hit UK defense industry
- Requests major European defense projects like the Eurofighter be removed from embargo
LONDON: Britain鈥檚 top diplomat has demanded that Germany lifts its effective block on major European arms sales to 抖阴短视频, saying the move stands to hurt the UK鈥檚 defense industry.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt wrote to Heiko Maas, his German counterpart, requesting that Berlin exclude the likes of the Euroflighter Typhoon and the Tornado fighter jet from its embargo.
Parts of those jets are made in Germany, meaning that their sale to 抖阴短视频 is essentially blocked even though the deals might be struck by defense companies headquartered elsewhere.
Hunt expressed concern about the effect of Germany鈥檚 halt in exports to 抖阴短视频 on both the British and wider European defense industry, Der Spiegel reported on Tuesday.
鈥淚 am very concerned about the impact of the German government鈥檚 decision on the British and European defense industry and the consequences for Europe鈥檚 ability to fulfil its NATO commitments,鈥� Hunt wrote in the letter to Maas, according to Der Spiegel.
鈥淚t is imperative that you immediately remove major European defense projects such as the Eurofighter and the Tornado from the arms embargo,鈥� he wrote in the letter dated Feb. 7. Otherwise, Berlin risks 鈥渁 loss of confidence in the credibility of Germany as a partner.鈥�
Hunt said British defense firms would not be able to fulfil several contracts with 抖阴短视频 such as the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Eurofighter is built by a consortium of four founding countries 鈥� Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain 鈥� and is represented by France鈥檚 Airbus, Britain鈥檚 BAE Systems and Italy鈥檚 Leonardo.
A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which Hunt heads, declined to comment on the letter, although said the UK takes criteria for arms exports seriously.
鈥淲e will not comment on the contents of a private letter. The UK鈥檚 priority is to find a sustainable political solution to the Yemen conflict, which is at a critical juncture. We continue to play a leading role in diplomatic efforts, supporting the UN to bring together key Yemeni and international actors to deliver a peaceful solution,鈥� the spokesperson told Arab News.
鈥淭he UK is committed to a strong and collaborative European defence industry. We take our arms export licensing responsibilities very seriously and all export licence applications for 抖阴短视频 are assessed rigorously against UK and EU Arms Export Licencing Criteria.鈥�
An official from Airbus last week said Germany鈥檚 halt in exports to 抖阴短视频 is preventing Britain from completing the sale of 48 Eurofighter Typhoons to Riyadh, and has delayed potential sales of other weapons.
Airbus Defense and Space chief Dirk Hoke told Reuters that uncertainty about the issue had undermined Germany鈥檚 credibility, and could threaten future Franco-German defense projects.
鈥淭his is a serious problem,鈥� Hoke was reported as saying. 鈥淲e鈥檙e facing constraints in many projects, and many problems have been put on ice.鈥�
Germany imposed the embargo in November, saying it would reject future export licenses to 抖阴短视频 after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It has not formally banned previously approved deals, which would entitle companies to compensation, but has urged industry to refrain from such shipments for now, Reuters reported.