Undisclosed country receives nod to buy weapons from Sweden for $1.75 billion: Report
▻https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/undisclosed-country-receives-nod-to-buy-weapons-from-sweden-for-175-billion-report/3160527
An undisclosed nation received a permit to purchase weapons from Sweden for $1.75 billion, media reports said Saturday.
The Swedish government declined to identify the country, citing confidentiality.
“If we give out that information, we risk disrupting Sweden’s international relations with the country, which means that the information is covered by foreign secrecy,” David Ahlen, head of the military equipment unit at Inspectorate for Strategic Products (ISP), told Swedish TV4.
(...) The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, (SPAS) which reviews the annual report, said it has never seen anything similar to this happening.
“For 12 years I have reviewed these documents and I have never seen people do this before. It is remarkable that it is happening and that it is such a big deal,” Linda Akerstrom, SPAS policy manager and expert on arms export issues, told Swedish TV4.
She said the 11.7 billion Swedish krona, which accounts for more than 40% of the approved permits, must be about some larger system to be sold and it is difficult to review arms exports, even if Sweden has greater transparency than many other countries.
“I am concerned about what this means in the future, even if the ISP highlights that they are transparent, this is a step in the wrong direction,” said Akerstrom.