Germany’s Merz promises arms cooperation as he seeks more Qatari energy

By Andreas Rinke

DOHA, Feb 5 (Reuters) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to take a less-restrictive stance on arms exports to Gulf states during a trip to Qatar on Thursday, as Europe’s largest economy looks to build deeper economic ties and diversify its energy sources.

Merz is on a campaign to sell Germany as a good country to do business with as U.S. tariff policies prompt countries to seek more trade deals elsewhere.

He already has trips to Brazil, India and South Africa under his belt, with a trip to China set for later this month, according to media reports.

Merz, who is travelling with the CEOs of Uniper and Diehl Defence, among others, said that Germany would work “more intensively in arms cooperation than in recent years” with what he described as reliable partners in the Gulf region.

“This is in our mutual interest, because we want to ensure that the world becomes safer, and it will only become safer if we are able to defend ourselves,” he told journalists.

Germany also wants to increase the amount of liquefied natural gas it imports from Qatar beyond the current 2 million tons a year, he said.

That would ensure a reliable energy supply and reduce dependencies, said Merz, who was in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and heads to the United Arab Emirates later on Thursday.

To build on these foundations, Merz added that he had invited Qatar’s emir for an official visit to Berlin in July.

Expanding economic cooperation was also a key focus of his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday.

IRAN, HUMAN RIGHTS DISCUSSED

Merz said on Thursday that he had addressed the human rights situation in the region during his meetings, a delicate topic after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

“These are issues that play a role in discussions behind closed doors,” he told journalists.

The chancellor said concerns about a further escalation in tensions between Iran and the United States also came up during his meetings, and he promised Germany would do everything to bring down the temperature.

Merz added that a post on social media platform X by Iran’s foreign minister calling him naive and distasteful was clearly a sign of “great nervousness and uncertainty.”

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, writing by Miranda Murray, editing by Thomas Seythal and Susan Fenton)