German Economy Ministry Refutes Reports on EU Arms Embargo on Egypt

There is no embargo on arms sales to Egypt imposed by the Schengen states despite media reports triggered by a recent human rights report, a source in Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the Amnesty International released a report on weapons’ transfers by EU states to Egypt, calling for the European Union to impose and implement an embargo on transfers of arms to the country mired in political turbulence since 2013.

"Today's media reports, which have appeared after the publication of the report of the international human rights organization Amnesty International, are misleading. They created the impression that there allegedly exists an arms embargo in regard to Egypt, which is not true," the ministry’s representative said.

The 2013 summit of the European Council resulted in EU member states speaking in favor of a restrictive arms export policy relating to weapons that could be used for repression, the source added.

Egypt has been struggling with political turmoil since the ouster of its first elected president Mohamed Morsi following a series of mass anti-government protests.