Norway to suspend defence gear exports to Saudi Arabia

COPENHAGEN – Norway’s foreign minister says the country will suspend issuing new licenses to export defence-related equipment to Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Norwegian news agency NTB on Friday that the move was temporary until “a comprehensive assessment of recent developments in Saudi Arabia and the region and the unsettling situation in Yemen” is completed.

NTB said exports of defence-related equipment — so-called B-material — in 2017 to Saudi Arabia was worth 41 million kroner ($4.9 million), a massive increase from 2016 when it was 23,000 kroner ($2,750).

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This story has been corrected to show that the U.S. conversion is $4.9 million, not billion.