Saudi foreign minister calls on Germany to lift arms export ban

Saudi foreign minister, Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud, has called on the German government to end a ban on exporting German weapons to the kingdom, claiming that his country requires the means to defend itself.

In an interview with German DPA International news agency on Monday, the Saudi minister disclosed: “We hope that Germany understands that we need the means to defend ourselves,” in reference to last year’s attacks on Saudi oil installations, which Riyadh held Iran responsible for.

Al Saud added that the German government’s insistence on not issuing permits to supply weapons to Saudi Arabia was inappropriate within the framework of maintaining good relations between the two countries.

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