UPDATE - AfD Welcomes Berlin Approval Of Arms Sales To Saudi Arabia For Sake Of Stability In Yemen

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) welcomes the German government's approval of arms exports to Saudi Arabia as Riyadh has a stabilizing role in war-torn Yemen and the whole middle East region, an AfD member of the Bundestag's defense committee, Jens Kestner, told Sputnik on Friday.

On Wednesday, German Economy Minister Peter Altmeier approved arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite previous vows by the ruling coalition to stop supplying arms to countries involved in the Yemen conflict.

Asked about his assessment of the exports approval, Kestner said it was "positive" since "Saudi Arabian efforts to re-stabilize Yemen" and Riyadh's "constructive role in general in the Middle East should be supported."

The lawmaker added that the ties between Saudi Arabia and Germany would be strengthened following Berlin's decision. He noted that Germany, being a trading nation, has an interest in open shipping lanes, such as in the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, and therefore it is within Germany's interest to end the Yemen conflict as soon as possible.

"Saudi Arabia plays an important role on the Arabian peninsula. We appreciate that Saudi Arabia has set course away from Wahabbian extremism toward a constructive and pragmatic policy. We think it is worth to support a nation which intends to enhance stabilization in the Middle East," Kestner added.

The lawmaker noted that though AfD still has concerns about Saudi Arabia's involvement in Syria and especially Iraq, it nevertheless has the impression that the positive aspects of Saudi Arabian politics prevail.

At the same time, the Die Linke party policy spokesman in the Bundestag Defense Committee stressed that the German government had to explain why it was selling arms to Saudi Arabia.

"Now the German government must explain, why it sells arms to Saudi Arabia. It is against their own rules, they have agreed not to deliver weapons to states, who are involved in the war in Yemen. So it's clear for everyone that you cannot trust the coalition agreement," Tobias Pflueger said.

Berlin is supporting Saudi campaign in Yemen directly with this, prolonging the conflict instead of halting it, the Die Linke party policy spokesman said.

"Maybe the government hopes, it will have better relations to Riad again. But the price for that is an ongoing war in Yemen," Pflueger said, when asked about what consequences of this decision Germany could envision.

Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces and the Houthi rebels for several years. The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf nations has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at the Yemeni government's request since March 2015.