German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Doha on Thursday that Germany is prepared to deepen arms cooperation with Gulf partners such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia while maintaining case-by-case oversight of exports.
Merz, on a three-day tour of Gulf states with business leaders including the CEOs of Uniper and Diehl Defense, is pursuing deals in energy, infrastructure and defense as part of a wider push to attract investment and secure supplies amid economic pressure from US tariff policies and high European energy costs. He said Germany also aims to increase imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar.
“We will work more intensively in arms cooperation than in recent years,” Merz told reporters, adding that increased defense ties are seen as contributing to mutual security. He stressed, however, that this would not mean unchecked exports: “Each case will still be reviewed individually,” he said, noting that Berlin had begun loosening restrictive export rules last year — among them approval for Eurofighter sales to Saudi Arabia.
Merz’s visit follows a more than two-hour meeting in Riyadh with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Members of the German delegation described the talks as “warm and open,” and said Merz wants to take ties with Saudi Arabia to a “new level,” covering energy, defense, AI and regional security. Germany is seeking to diversify partnerships away from China and to secure alternative energy suppliers as Russia remains off-limits due to its war in Ukraine.
Human rights remain a point of tension. Merz said he would raise concerns privately during meetings, while acknowledging the issue no longer plays the same public role as in the past. Saudi Arabia’s record — including a sharp rise in executions and the unresolved murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi — remains contentious. Merz told journalists these discussions often take place behind closed doors.
On regional security, Merz urged Iran to “truly enter talks” about its nuclear program and warned of the risk of military escalation. He said Germany was coordinating closely with the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly criticized Merz on social media, calling him politically naive; Merz dismissed the tweet as a sign of nervousness.
Analysts see the Gulf tour as emblematic of shifting global power and Germany’s effort to build economic and strategic alternatives to reliance on the US. For Germany, deepening ties with wealthy Gulf states could bring energy supplies, investment and defense contracts that may support industrial recovery and job creation — even as Berlin seeks to balance commercial interests with human rights and regional stability.