- Theresa May in Bahrain for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.
- All GCC countries – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar – are target markets for UK arms exports.
- At present, almost two thirds of UK arms exports go to the Middle East.
Campaigners have called on Theresa May to use the Gulf Cooperation Council (GC) summit in Bahrain this week as a chance to call for meaningful human rights reform.
All six dictatorships on the GCC are also on the most recent list of ‘priority markets’ for arms exports, published by the UK government every year. All six countries have all been major buyers of UK arms. Government statistics show that at present, almost two thirds of UK arms exports go to the Middle East.
Value of arms licences since Conservative government elected in May 2015.
- Saudi Arabia: £3.3 billion
- United Arab Emirates (UAE): £210 million
- Qatar: £138 million
- Oman: £55 million
- Kuwait: £19 million
- Bahrain: £18 million
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said:
Theresa May has called for a new trading relationship with the Gulf states following Brexit, but this cannot come at the cost of silence on human rights and democracy.
Theresa May must use her position to call for meaningful change. These regimes have appalling human rights records and UK weapons provide practical and political support for their abuses. UK arms have also been central to the Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen.
If May is concerned about the people living under repression, then she must stop pushing arms sales to those who repress them and use her platform to demand reform.
Theresa May’s visit follows a recent Middle East tour by Prince Charles, which included Bahrain, Oman and UAE.
ENDS
For further information please contact Andrew at media(at)caat·org·uk or call 020 7281 0297 or 07990 673232.
