France and arms industry

Sir, – The French ambassador claims that Australia cancelling a military contract with France is an "issue of great concern" to the EU, and a "matter of concern for all Europeans" (Letters, October 16th).

However, it is highly questionable whether the French arms industry is an industry that the EU, or indeed, many Europeans, should actually support. This is especially the case when we consider that the top purchasers of French arms exports include the despotic regimes of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which have been accused of committing serious human rights violations in their respective wars in Yemen and North Sinai.

Europeans should instead be concerned with pressuring the French government to stem the flow of arms from Europe to the rest of the world, and curtail the immoral European arms industry. – Yours, etc,

RONAN Ó FATHAIGH,

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Amsterdam,

The Netherlands.