Germany resumes arms supplies to Saudi Arabia

The German Federal Security Council approved the transfer of 150 air-to-air missiles to Riyadh. Photo: JACQUELINE MARTIN/AP POOL

Germany has resumed arms sales to Saudi Arabia, supplying air-to-air missiles for Eurofighter aircraft.

The move draws a line under a ban on arms sales that began after the killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Germany's Federal Security Council approved the transfer of 150 IRIS-T missiles to Riyadh, according to government documents seen by Reuters news agency and German magazine Spiegel.

Earlier this week, the German government stated that it would no longer do this. block a UK proposal to sell more Eurofighter aircraft to the Saudis.

The Eurofighter project is a joint venture between the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The twin announcements represent a major shift in policy for Germany, which imposed a ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia following the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi leadership and Washington columnist Post.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has become a global pariah over a murder he was accused of ordering, although he vehemently denies the accusations.

A major thaw in relations

Germany also appears keen to play a more active role in the emerging security alliance between the West, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Berlin has become a staunch ally of Israel, which in turn is pushing for a deal normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, and recently struck a €4bn (£3.4bn) deal to buy Israel's Arrow 3 air defense system to protect Europe's skies.

Germany is not the only country to see a major thaw in relations with Riyadh five years after Khashoggi's killing.

President Joe Biden met the crown prince in Riyadh last September, ending a public rift between the two leaders over the killing of a prominent journalist.

Britain is also keen to host the crown prince on an official visit to London in the near future.

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler was due to visit the capital last fall, but the trip was postponed due to German opposition to the sale of Eurofighter jets, and that obstacle has now been removed.

>Saudi Arabia is still has come under fire for its human rights record, with a recent Human Rights Watch report alleging that Saudi border guards killed hundreds of African migrants on the Yemen border in 2022.

Saudi Arabia has denied these accusations, based on testimony from survivors of the attacks.