Germany concludes major naval arms package to Egypt, despite opposition
Egypt boosts its naval power after Germany agrees to sell naval equipment to Cairo amid tensions in the eastern Mediterranean that is rich in oil and gas resources.
Germany agreed Nov. 2 to sell naval equipment to Egypt, including nine patrol boats and a coastal defense ship, according to a letter by German Minister of Economy Peter Altmaier addressed to the economic committee in the German parliament, according to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
The boat deal, estimated at 130 million euros (about $155 million), was concluded in 2018 by the German boat manufacturer Lürssen, and it was most likely destined initially for Saudi Arabia. But the alleged sale to Saudi Arabia was dropped due to Germany’s arms embargo on the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia received only 15 boats out of the 35 that it had requested to purchase from Germany before the latter banned all arms’ exports to the kingdom in November 2018, in the aftermath of the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October.
In March 2018, Germany had issued a decision to ban arms’ exports to Saudi Arabia and all parties involved in the Yemeni war, but the ban was not complete on the kingdom except after Khashoggi’s murder. On March 23, 2020, Germany decided to extend the ban until Dec. 31, with the possibility of renewing it.
