France second global arms exporter

Pars Today- France passes behind Russia to become the second exporter of weapons in the world.

According to the latest report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), France's arms exports increased 47% in the years 2014- 2018 and 2019- 2023.

The war in Ukraine and the Russian need to more arms besides Western sanctions have been the main causes of reduction of Russian arms exports.

The highest share of French arms exports has been 42% to Asian and Oceanic countries and 34% to West Asian countries.

Senior researcher in the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme, Peter D. Wezeman, said that France is trying to reach what is called strategic autonomy.

Katarina Djokic, another researcher in SIPRI, stated that France has been exploiting the opportunity of strong global demand for modern weapons, the demand which has been created in the aftermath of crisis-inducing and warmongering policies of the West, particularly the US.

The United States continues to be the first arms exporter in the world.

According to the announcement of SIPRI, at least 30 countries have granted military assistance to Kiev since the war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022. Meanwhile, other European countries have increased their imports most of which have been from the US.

According to the SIPRI statistics, during the 2019- 2023 period, 55 percent of Europe's arms imports were from the US, while in 2014- 2018, the figure was 35 percent.

RM/MG