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German Overseas Minister Annalena Baerbock is ending her three-day journey to the Center East with a go to to Cairo on Saturday.
She met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and her Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shokry. Commenting on Germany’s record-breaking arms exports to Egypt, Baerbock stated that human rights will play an essential position in Berlin’s coverage. Baerbock additionally stated she had spoken “overtly and actually” about human rights whereas assembly Egyptian officers.
Why are arms gross sales to Egypt controversial?
Germany’s new coalition authorities is eager on curbing arms exports to international locations exterior of the European Union and NATO, with Egypt on the prime of that record.
“German arms exports to Egypt and Saudi Arabia should not be allowed, given the problematic insurance policies of each states” Omid Nouripour from Baerbock’s Inexperienced Occasion not too long ago advised the DPA information company, citing Egypt’s human rights file.
“There are greater than 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt, a double-digit variety of prisons have been newly constructed for this objective,” stated Nouripour.
Earlier this month, 175 European politicians signed a letter calling on the United Nations to take a more in-depth take a look at human rights in Egypt.
German weapons exports to Egypt hit file excessive
For 3 years in a row, Germany has exported extra arms to Egypt than to another nation.
Egypt boosted Germany’s weapons exports to file ranges in 2021, in keeping with authorities figures.
Preliminary figures from the Financial Affairs and Local weather Motion Ministry present that Germany exported arms price €9.35 billion euros ($10.65 billion) final 12 months — up 61% on 2020.
The earlier file was about €8 billion in 2019, with solely €5.82 billion exported in 2020 in the course of the preliminary phases of the coronavirus pandemic.
The place else did Baerbock go to on her Center East journey?
On Friday Baerbock was in Jordan, the place she visited a refugee settlement as she referred to as for an enlargement of worldwide assist.
Baerbock additionally pointed to the fragile peace course of between Israel and Palestine, and that, as direct neighbors, Jordan and Egypt can play an important half.
The 1967 battle between Israel and an alliance of Arab states, together with Jordan, led to tons of of 1000’s of Palestinians and Syrians fleeing or being expelled from the West Financial institution and the Golan Heights, respectively.
Baerbock is on her first journey to the Center East as Germany’s overseas minister.
jsi/dj (dpa, AFP)
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