In the first half of 2022, Swiss companies exported war material worth over half a billion francs.
Keystone
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War material exports increased by almost 45 percent in the first six months compared to the same period last year. In absolute figures, armaments worth 516.6 million francs were exported, an increase of 159.8 million francs, as reported by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) on Tuesday.
According to Seco, the increase was due to larger individual transactions. It is not unusual: the exports of war material would “experience are subject to large fluctuations”. Exports must be approved by Seco.
Qatar is procuring anti-aircraft systems for the soccer World Cup in winter
The five main buyer countries were Qatar with deliveries worth 117.5 million francs, followed by Denmark with 101.7 million francs, Saudi Arabia with 54.4 million francs, Germany with 47.7 million francs and Botswana with 33.1 million francs Franconia, as Seco continues to write.
According to Seco, the exports to Qatar were mainly anti-aircraft systems, which were procured “to protect the stadiums” as part of the football World Cup in winter 2022. Deliveries to Denmark and Botswana, on the other hand, primarily concerned wheeled armored vehicles of the “Piranha” type. Ammunition, parts for armored vehicles, spare parts for air defense systems and handguns and handguns were mainly exported to Germany, writes the Seco.
Since 2016, no exports of war material have been approved to Saudi Arabia that are “suitable and at increased risk for use in the Yemen conflict,” according to Seco. Since then, exports to Saudi Arabia – like this year – have exclusively included spare parts and ammunition for air defense systems.
Further no deliveries to Ukraine or Russia
Deliveries of war material to the Ukraine are not possible due to the principle of equal treatment under neutrality law and the War Material Act. This also applies to exports via third countries, writes Seco.
However, the law provides that Swiss companies can participate in the international value chains of the defense industry. Therefore, the Federal Council decided in June to continue to allow deliveries in the form of individual parts and assemblies without additional restrictions, provided that “their share of the end product falls below a certain value threshold”. The approval criteria of the law still apply, writes the Seco. This means that “direct exports to Ukraine or Russia are excluded”.
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