In Qatar on Thursday, Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled Germany would be willing to increase arms exports to countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia as "reliable cooperation partners."
Merz is on a three day tour of Gulf states along with the CEOs of German energy company Uniper, and Diehl Defense, among others, to explore potential oil, gas and arms deals as part of a push to attract more business to Germany as US tariff policies, and high energy prices in Europe, put pressure on the economy.
Speaking to reporters in Doha, Merz said Germany would work "more intensively in arms cooperation than in recent years" with partners in the Gulf region.