President discourages new arms export licence to UAE

The country should exhibit more restrain in granting new arms export licence when it comes to supplying arms to the warring sides in the Yemeni conflict, President Sauli Niinistö told the Finnish language daily Helsingin Sanomat.

Niinistö considers the situation in Yemen deeply worrying, reported the news agency STT.

The issue has come to the fore after it became apparent that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) military had probably used an armoured personnel carrier supplied by Patria in the Yemeni war.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, Patria’s armoured personnel carrier had been seen during the battle in the small town of Hays at the beginning of January.

Patria sold 40 armoured personnel carriers to the UAE in 2016. The government last week extended Patria’s arms export licence to the UAE. The licence concerns spare parts for the armoured personnel carriers delivered to the UAE in 2016.

The UAE was the country’s most important arms export destination in 2016. The Helsingin Sanomat also interviewed the other presidential candidates about their views on arms export to the UAE.