German Weapons Sales To Middle East Get Major Boost

German weapons arms exports to the Middle East have grown exponentially, according to reports. In the first half of 2013, the German government approved sales worth $1.84 billion to six Gulf countries.

In 2012, the Federal Security Council approved sales 1.4 billion euros to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar with its two million inhabitants has been earmarked to receive the bulk of shipments this year, worth more than 635 million euros, according to Deutsche Welle German radio.

Officially, the federal government announces details on approved weapons exports in its annual arms exports report a year later. But according to media reports, Qatar is set to receive 62 Leopard 2 battle tanks and 24 self-propelled guns. According to armaments manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the deal is worth 1.9 billion euros.