A Dutch company is allowed to sell some 21 million euros of military equipment to Algeria. Thales Nederland has received an export licence, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans says in a letter to parliament.
The deal involves radar systems and so-called C3 systems (command, control and communication). This equipment will go to Algeria via China, where the Algerian navy has ordered three small frigates for fighting terrorism and the defence of the country.
The systems will be partially built into the frigates by Thales Nederland staff, after which sensitive hardware and software will ultimately be installed in Algeria. This is being done to prevent Chinese companies or the Chinese government gaining access to sensitive information.