LONDON: French sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE are to support allies in the war against terrorism, Emmanuel Macron said Thursday.
“Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are allies of France and allies in the fight against terrorism,” the French president said as he arrived for a meeting of EU leaders in Romania.
“We need to be with our allies in these difficult times and the war against terrorism is a priority for us.”
A shipment of supplies is set to leave for the Gulf from the northern French port of Le Havre and the French president has faced pressure from critics at home over the deliveries.
Meanwhile, leading British defence firm BAE Systems said it was working with the UK government to deliver its contracts with Saudi Arabia after Germany in March extended its ban on exporting arms to the kingdom.
The move has been criticised by European allies since it put a question mark over billions of euros of military orders, including a multi-billion pound deal to sell 48 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Riyadh that would be led by Britain's BAE Systems.
“Following the recent updates from the German Government regarding export licences, we are working closely with industry partners and the UK government to continue to fulfil our contractual support arrangements in Saudi Arabia on the key European collaboration programmes,” BAE said Thursday.
*With Reuters and AFP
