Arms imports to Middle East doubled over past decade, study shows

STOCKHOLM, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Arms imports to the Middle East have doubled over the past 10 years, fuelled by war and conflicts in the region, said a Swedish-based research institute on Monday.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its latest study on global arms transfers that weapons imports by countries in the Middle East increased by 103 percent between 2008 and 2017, and accounted for one third of global arms imports in the 2013-2017period.

"Widespread violent conflict in the Middle East and concerns about human rights have led to political debate in Western Europe and North America about restricting arms sales," said senior SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman.

"Yet the United States and European states remain the main arms exporters to the region and supplied over 98 percent of weapons imported by Saudi Arabia," said Wezeman.

According to the study, which monitors arms deliveries by volume every five years to iron out short-term fluctuations, Saudi Arabia is the world's second-largest importer of arms after India, and the United States accounts for 61 percent of arms imports to Saudi Arabia, and Britain for 23 percent. Enditem