Less than a year after Khashoggi: Germany to resume training of Saudi border guards

The German Interior Ministry confirmed, Monday, the resumption of the training mission of Saudi border guards after it was suspended last year after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Spokesman Stephane Roy Glosenkamp confirmed reports indicating Berlin’s decision to resume the training mission in Saudi Arabia, reported Associated Press.

Glosenkamp added that “the protection of borders in the Near East and Middle East serves the interest of Germany’s foreign policy, and it is an important means of effectively combating terrorism.”

He explained that the training focuses on “regulations aimed at border protection and quality management, as well as the detection of forged documents.”

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German Foreign Ministry spokesman Rainer Breuil said that the training would include lectures on “principles of the rule of law and human rights”.

The statements came today after Der Spiegel, revealed on Saturday that the German authorities are making efforts in secret to resume its normal relations with Saudi Arabia, less than a year after the assassination of Khashoggi.

The magazine reported that “the German federal police will send their trainers back to Saudi Arabia after ordering the suspension of this training mission last year.”

According to the information obtained by Der Spiegel, the German police trainers will resume the task of training Saudi border guards, which began in 2009.

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Last year, about 70 German police and interior ministry employees took part in the mission.

On 2 October, Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in a case that that shook international public opinion.

After 18 days of denial and conflicting interpretations, Riyadh announced the assassination of the journalist inside the consulate, following a “dispute” with Saudi nationals, and arrested 18 citizens for investigation, without disclosing the parties responsible for the crime or the location of the body.