According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, which deals with weapons trade, the sale of arms to Islamic geography, where outbreaks of exterior conflict have been intense in recent years, has doubled.

The report of SIPRI, which took arms trade around the world under scrutiny, states that the US maintains its leading position in arms exports. The United States and European countries, including Germany, are leading weapons supplies to Islamic geography. The largest weapons importer in the region is the Saudis. The US and Western countries have met the Riyadh administration's 98 percent of the weapons demands in the last five years.

The number of arms imports between 2013 and 2017 increased by 225 percent compared to the previous five, as the Saudis continue their attacks in Yemen since 2015. Riyadh, the largest arms importer in the world after India, ordered 48 high-tech warplanes from Britain last week.

Half of the US weapons exports go to Islamic geography

According to DW, the report shows that one-third of the world's weapons are supplied by the US, while Washington's arms exports have increased by 25 percent over the past five years. In this period, USA made half of its arms exports to Islamic geography.

Germany's arms sales to Islamic geography have doubled

The United States was followed by Russia, France, Germany, and China in the sale of weapons. It was reported that these five countries accounted for 74 percent of the total weapons sales in the world. SIPRI pointed out that Germany's weapons sales during the period of 2008-2012 were down 14 percent from 2013-2017, while arms sales to Islamic countries increased by 109 percent.

Germany announced at the beginning of this year that it would stop arms sales to the coalition countries that participated in the attack in Yemen. There is also a debate in Berlin on the arms sales to Turkiye due to its operations carried out against Syria's Afrin.

Arms exports increased in Turkiye

The report states that very few countries, apart from the West's, are the exporter of weapons by emphasized that Turkiye is on the rise of exporting weapons. According to findings, Turkiye has increased its arms sales during the period 2013-2017 compared to the previous five years, with the rate of 145 percent.

Turkiye is one of the major trading partners of the European arms purchases. Turkiye is the 11^th country with the most purchasing weapons from the top 5 European arms producers. However, a change took place in Turkiye since it started to produce its arms said SIPRI. There is an expectation that this change will be seen more clearly over the next 5 years.

Turkiye's production of weapons showed a 145 percent increase in the last five years over the previous period. However, the report noted that Turkiye is still dependent on European countries' technology. This is also causing tensions sometimes with the suppliers of technology and Turkiye.

ILKHA