German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged during his visit to Qatar to strengthen cooperation in the field of armaments with key partners in the Gulf region, while also aiming to expand investment and trade ties with Gulf states.
Following his trip to Saudi Arabia, Merz arrived in Doha, where he stated that cooperation in defense “serves our mutual interests, because we want to ensure the world becomes safer. And the world will only be safer if we defend ourselves.”
He explained that if the German government sees “reliable partners” such as Qatar or Saudi Arabia, these countries could rely on stronger cooperation with Germany in the arms sector than in previous years.
At the same time, Merz clarified: “This does not mean that we will now export all weapons to all countries without oversight. The principle of case-by-case review remains in place.”
Sources – Agencies
