Germany’s unilateral arms embargo against Saudi Arabia is straining relations with both Britain and France because it blocks exports of joint projects from jet fighters to armored police cars.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel slapped the embargo on Saudi Arabia in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi without consulting her European allies. The go-it-alone action blocks weapons exports to the desert nation, even if Germany only delivers parts for a finished product.
It raises questions in Paris and London about how reliable Germany is as a partner, if it is willing to adopt such policies without consultation or consideration about the impact on their economies or companies.
Britain, for instance, has a contract valued at several billion euros to deliver 48 Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia, but about one-third of the plane’s components come from Germany, so it is affected by the ban.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has sought an exemption from the ban, but his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, turned him down.
Germany was reacting not only to the Kashoggi murder but also to Saudi involvement in the Yemen conflict. Britain is also opposed to the Saudi intervention and Hunt stressed the importance of coordination between the allies in order to maintain their leverage with the Middle Eastern kingdom.