The Last Nine Days Of Angela Merkel's Administration: Germany Sets Record For Arms Exports, Egypt Is The Biggest Consumer

Illustrations Fekat Meko A-200. (Wikimedia Commons / Patrosk-Dente)

JAKARTA - Germany was able to record export sales in 2021, following the last-minute approval of a billion-euro arms deal by Angela Merkel's expiring government, although the government was only acting in an executive capacity at the time.

Citing Daily Sabah on December 25, Merkel's government was able to reach a deal worth nearly 5 billion euros, equivalent to 5.6 billion US dollars, in the last nine days in the government office.

The value of the deal brings Germany's total arms exports to a record 9.04 billion euros for the year, the Economy Ministry said in response to a lawmaker's question, seen by German news agency DPA.

Egypt is the main recipient of German arms exports, the biggest consumer of this sale, despite criticism of its human rights abuses and involvement in conflicts in Yemen and Libya.

Under the last minute agreement, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems can deliver three MEKO A-200 EN frigates to Egypt; Diehl Defense has been authorized to deliver 16 IRIS-T SLS/SLX air defense systems to Egypt, and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems were allowed to export the Type 218 SG submarine to Singapore.

IRIS-T air defense system. (Wikimedia Commons/Boyevaya Mashina)

The coalition between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats was replaced by a new government earlier this month, following the September elections.

Details of the deal came just a day before Olaf Scholz was elected chancellor, although the value of his exports was unknown at the time.

It is now clear that the value of arms exports to Egypt stands at 4.34 billion euros, even though the government acts only in an executive capacity when such major decisions are usually avoided.

The deal was done under former chancellor Angela Merkel, along with Scholz, who was then vice-chancellor.

However, this notch still draws strong criticism. The lawmaker who asked the question, Sevim Dagdelen, a left-wing foreign policy expert, criticized Scholz, a Social Democrat, and slammed the leading party's criticism of arms exports to authoritarian regimes as unimportant.