RIYADH: Sweden government plans to reopen their abandoned defense-industrial export agreement with Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister Stefan Lofven confirmed to the national parliament this month.
The agreement was abandoned in 2012 after a conflict emerged from the public disclosure of the so-called Swedish-Saudi clandestine "Defense Project Simoom." The fallout resulted in the resignation of then-Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors in the Moderate Party-led government headed by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt,
However, Sweden's Socialist-Green Alliance (SGA) government is meeting stiff resistance from opposition parties against plans to reopen the stalled deal, reported Defence News.
The counter strike by opposition parties is headed by the Liberals and Left parties. These are joining forces to obstruct the administration's push to rekindle a new Swedish-Saudi defense-industrial pact.
The potential for a defense-industrial deal was initially discussed under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Sweden and Saudi Arabia in Stockholm in November 2005. The Swedish delegation in the MoU talks was chaired by the then-Defense Minister Leni Björklund.
The type of expanded defense-industrial deal being pursued by Sweden would include weapons sales in addition to the construction and equipping of weapons factories and other possible projects, including the building of underground defense installations.
The 2005 MoU proposed a narrow range of projects. These included the construction of one or more anti-tank and missile factories by Sweden in Saudi Arabia.
Defence News
