Relationship dossier
Belgium
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Practical economic ties, alongside scrutiny of Belgian arms exports to Saudi Arabia
Belgium toward Saudi Arabia
+15Belgian authorities have administered arms-export licensing involving Saudi Arabia, a policy that has drawn scrutiny over the Yemen conflict and human-rights concerns. Belgium and Saudi Arabia are also parties to a bilateral tax treaty.
Saudi Arabia toward Belgium
+15Saudi Arabia is party to a bilateral tax treaty with Belgium, providing a concrete framework for economic relations. The scope of other Saudi government cooperation with Belgium is unclear.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship has a practical economic foundation, including a bilateral tax treaty, while Belgian arms-export licensing involving Saudi Arabia has been a source of concern amid the Yemen conflict and human-rights debates. The breadth of other sustained bilateral cooperation is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Belgium and Saudi Arabia maintain practical economic ties, including a bilateral tax treaty. Belgian arms-export licensing to Saudi Arabia has also drawn scrutiny in the context of the war in Yemen and human-rights concerns. These issues temper, but do not define, the relationship; the scope of wider government cooperation is unclear.
Areas of tension
- Belgian arms-export licensing involving Saudi Arabia amid concerns related to the Yemen conflict and human rights.
Key developments
Belgium and Saudi Arabia concluded a bilateral tax treaty.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of wider bilateral economic and technical cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of current Belgian arms-export licensing to Saudi Arabia is uncertain.