OLSO: The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced on 3 January that it had suspended export licences for weapons and ammunition to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The decision to suspend exports was based on a “comprehensive risk assessment of the situation in Yemen, and the increasing risks associated with the UAE’s military engagement in the country”, according to a ministry statement. Specifically, the suspension of licences relates to equipment in the country’s export regulations defined as “Category A”. Norway’s defence export regulations define Category A equipment as including “arms, ammunition, and certain types of military equipment and components. It also includes other equipment with the strategic capacity to influence the military balance of power beyond the immediate vicinity”.