Air defense missiles and Eurofighters for Riyadh: Germany actually didn’t want to deliver weapons to Saudi Arabia. How the country’s image has changed was also shown during the visit of Economics Minister Habeck.
Qiddiya City should become something that would have been unthinkable in Saudi Arabia until recently. A pleasure town in a canyon landscape outside Riyadh. Theme parks, pop concerts, and a giant roller coaster in the world. Project manager Turki Alrasheed is already trying to look into the future: “With Falcon Flight we want to break the world record. A roller coaster in Abu Dhabi reaches 240 kilometers per hour. We want to reach 260 KMH.”
Construction is already underway at Qiddiya City. “Joy and Transformation” – fun and change is the label. And Qiddiya City is intended to be an example of changes in the country, which previously stood for a particularly conservative interpretation of Islam, which shaped the entire society.
Signs of real change
This is also why Economics Minister Robert Habeck came to Saudi Arabia and sees signs of real change. “The country is in a transformation, in a modernization phase.” This can be seen in the fact that women are now significantly more involved in society and the world of work, says Habeck. “And the country also plays a different role in foreign policy engagement than it did a few years ago.”
On his trip to the Arabian Peninsula, Habeck emphasized again and again: Saudi Arabia is the central player in the region, without which progress on some issues is hardly possible. Be it climate protection and the energy transition, be it the Middle East conflict and the attitude of Arab countries towards Israel.
According to Habeck, Saudi Arabia is trying to de-escalate in the Middle East and is also shielding Israel against rocket attacks by the Houthi rebels from Yemen. For security cooperation, this means: The federal government is now ready to agree to the delivery of new Eurofighter fighter jets to Saudi Arabia – something Germany had rejected for years.
And: The federal government has also approved the delivery of 150 Iris-T rockets to Saudi Arabia, which Habeck does not want to comment directly on in Riyadh. But in all decisions, said the Vice Chancellor, we look at whether Ukraine doesn’t have a more urgent need. And it is also crucial whether the weapons are used “in a world that has become more complicated in such a way that they contribute to protection, de-escalation and stability.”
In recent years, Germany has handled arms exports to Saudi Arabia restrictively. Also with a view to the conflict in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia supports the central government against the Houthi rebels. Habeck confirms that Saudi Arabia is working harder on a peace solution there.
Opportunity for energy transition and economy
Habeck also attributes an important role to Saudi Arabia when it comes to the energy transition. The country is investing in several major projects to build huge solar parks. And thus also open up the possibility of producing and exporting green hydrogen in the long term. Habeck sees this as a great opportunity for German companies and also for the success of the energy transition in Germany.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia, together with the other OPEC states, was the big brake on the exit from fossil fuels at the world climate conference in Dubai a month ago, which was ultimately agreed at COP28 with a non-binding compromise formula. Energy expert Markus Exenberger from the H2Global Foundation points out that oil and gas will still be in the ground in the Gulf for decades. “The desire to lift the treasure is correspondingly great.”
Developments in the area of human rights are also ambivalent. On the one hand, women now have noticeably more rights; for example, they no longer need their husbands’ permission if they want to work or travel. At the same time, there were 171 executions last year; freedom of the press, democracy and separation of powers are not provided for in the kingdom. According to Habeck, the “differences in values are clearly addressed in the trusting framework that we have.”
Tightrope walk for Habeck
Habeck’s first visit as economics minister to Riyadh is definitely a balancing act. What is clear, however, is that the German government’s view of Saudi Arabia is much more positive than it was a few years ago. The will to change is real. Even if the contradictions and human rights deficits are certainly seen.
In the “Joy and Transition” city of Qiddiya City, the first construction phase is expected to be completed soon. Then we could begin with the new freedoms and fun. However, the project makers do not want to specify when exactly.
Martin Polansky, ARD Berln, currently Riyadh, tagesschau, January 10, 2024 4:57 p.m