UAE demands Germany fulfill arms export agreements

The UAE Ambassador to Berlin, Ali Abdulla Al-Ahmed, has demanded Germany honour arms export agreements signed with the Emirates, which Berlin has halted due to Abu Dhabi’s involvement in the war in Yemen.

“We know that the German military industry is ready to deliver all of the goods. And we do expect the terms of the contracts committed to by all parties to be honoured,” Al-Ahmed told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).

“We have a very tough neighbourhood. You buy military equipment for a purpose. You do not want to use it, but sometimes you need to use it,” he added.

He explained that some export agreements are decades old.

READ: UAE signs $5.5bn in military contracts as Yemen war heightens scrutiny

The UAE ambassador added that any changes in the  German government’s position due to “a new political position here in Germany”, is the country’s right, but “it should only apply to new contracts”.

Germany stopped arms exports to the UAE and Saudi Arabia over their involvement in the war in Yemen which has led to the worst humanitarian crisis in modern history.

The UAE is the second largest state in an Arab alliance led by Saudi Arabia that has been carrying out military operations in Yemen since 2015.