The Left and the Greens reacted with outrage to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s announcement that Germany would increase the delivery of weapons to Gulf states.
“Merz is falling blindly into the propaganda of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman” said Left leader Jan van Aken to the news portal T‑Online.
The federal government, according to van Aken, is casting aside human‑rights concerns that have been raised so far. He added that continued arms deliveries would further trample human rights in Saudi Arabia: many people are executed-often merely for drug offenses-women do not enjoy the same rights as men, and those who criticize the prince and his court end up in prison. He concluded with a claim that “a dirty deal is being made: weapons for ever‑increasing profits for German business leaders”.
Green politician Sara Nanni accused Merz of seeking to further normalise the regime in support of his “fossil agenda”. She said that this had little to do with security policy, noting that the suspicions that have historically justified a more restrictive approach still exist. Merz argues that arms deals will build trust, a stance she says is typical of conservatively run governments. “There have always been concrete reasons for restricting exports” Nanni replied. She added that the federal government has never placed the Gulf states under general suspicion.