Germany and England agree to strengthen defense cooperation

– International news – Tasnim News Agency According to Pasir Noye Presse newspaper, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during his visit to Berlin, Germany’s support He praised Ukraine. The English official said in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Schultz in the Prime Minister’s office, referring to Kiev’s European allies: “We cannot ignore the fact that Germany, along with England, are the most important supporters of Ukraine.

When asked about the German chancellor’s repeated refusal to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, Sonak did not directly answer, but emphasized that each country has a different stake. Sonak particularly emphasized Germany’s decision to deliver another Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. According to him, Schultz deserved nothing but praise for this.

The trip to Berlin is the first trip to Germany for Sonak, who has been working in England since October 2022. He arrived in Berlin on Tuesday evening after traveling to Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

According to British sources, in addition to increasing cooperation in defense matters, the heads of the two governments also agreed to cooperate in the energy sector and fight organized crime. They discussed the findings. Among these discussions was the export of green hydrogen as an energy source from the UK to Germany.

In his visit to Poland on Tuesday, Sonak promised to increase his country’s defense budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. informed. NATO has set a target of two percent for its members.

Schultz’s emphasis on the need to strengthen the European pillar of NATO

Olaf Schultz, the chancellor of Germany, also believes is that NATO’s European pillar must have sufficient deterrence potential. This German official said: It should be noted that Russia’s war against Ukraine has endangered the security structure of Europe and also the understanding that borders should not be changed by force. “For us here in Europe, that means we have to strengthen the European pillar of NATO,” Schulz said. Because our European ability to deter and defend must always be valid.

Schultz also said that Germany and Great Britain are the biggest supporters of Ukraine in Europe. He added: At the same time, it is an encouraging and necessary signal that the US Congress has now released funds to support Ukraine. He added: “This decision shows that Putin is making a miscalculation when he believes that European countries and the United States and all other supporters will abandon Ukraine at some point.” We don’t do that. The chancellor also said: “Without security, everything is nothing” and stressed: “Germany and Britain stand together by Ukraine.” Although Britain has not been a member of the European Union for more than four years, it is still one of Germany’s most important allies in NATO are G7 and G20. This country, along with Germany, is the most important supplier of European arms to Ukraine and has recently promised large-scale new military aid to the country.

London has also announced that Germany and Britain want joint development. Remote controlled howitzers are future military ground operations. This was announced by the headquarters of the British government at 10 Downing Street on the occasion of Rishi Sunak’s visit to Berlin.

This howitzer can fire 9 cannonballs of 155 mm per minute at a distance of 40 km. Downing Street explained that the RCH 155 is the world’s first howitzer that can fire while driving and is therefore more suitable for evading enemy fire. /strong>

Olaf Schultz still wants to continue his opposition to the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine even if the US delivers its ATACMS missiles to the country with a range of 300 km. When he was asked about this at the press conference with Sunak, he said: “My decision will not change” regarding the sending of these missiles. The arms suppliers are Ukraine, and he especially pointed out the comprehensive support of Germany in the field of artillery and air defense. He also said: My decision regarding weapon systems is very clear. But my decision is clear that we will continue to be the biggest supporter of Ukraine in Europe and we will be the two countries that take the most action alongside England. Defense

Olaf Schultz and Rishi Sonak also announced the increase in defense cooperation between their countries. “In practical terms, we are doing this with the UK on a range of projects including a new artillery system and the Boxer wheeled tank, the European Sky Shield initiative and the Eurofighter jet fighter,” Schulz said. In this press conference, it is stated: We have agreed to deepen our direct defense cooperation, including in the field of operational and industrial cooperation, and to improve our capabilities and the interoperability of our armed forces.

Sonak said in Berlin that Germany and Britain have “taken greater responsibility for our collective security, and today we are going even further by opening a new chapter in the security relationship between our two countries.” The British Prime Minister continued: Both countries are committed to creating a new framework for their defense cooperation.

Schultz also emphasized that Britain also wants to participate in the “European Sky Shield” air defense system project launched by Germany. is, participate. He also expressed optimism that England will join the agreement of France, Germany and Spain on export control. The German Chancellor also expressed concern for China regarding the suspicion of espionage against an employee of the extremist Alternative for Germany Party and said at a press conference with Sonak: “The situation is “very, very, very worrying”. The German chancellor said: “It is very important that we have good intelligence services, good public prosecutors and good police work. They all work closely together, even across borders.

He added: “We We cannot accept espionage against us, no matter what country it is from. You can see from the recent arrests in this country and elsewhere that this should be an incentive to all those who are against us and our security. They are spying in our countries, let’s find this message.

The criminal police department of Saxony had already arrested Jian J. On Wednesday, J was issued an arrest warrant against him , the main candidate of the Alternative for Germany party in the European Parliament, accuses him of acting as a secret service agent in a particularly serious manner The German, who is originally from China, has leaked internal information of the European Parliament to China’s secret service. He is also said to have spied on members of the Chinese opposition in Germany.

A total of six suspects. Chinese were arrested in Germany and Britain this week.

Critical letter of German politicians to Sunac’s anti-immigration plan

According to the German media, 13 German politicians also In a letter to British Prime Minister Rishi Sonak, they criticized the British government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda without formality, despite legal concerns.

The letter published in SPIEGEL said “We followed the vote on the changes to the law related to deportation to Rwanda with concern. In particular, your statement that you are no longer willing to respect the interim orders of the European Court of Human Rights is disturbing.”

The Rwanda deal is Sunak’s most important campaign promise. The Prime Minister wants to stop the illegal immigration of asylum seekers by boat through the English Channel. Deported asylum seekers must be granted asylum in Rwanda, but even if successful, they cannot return to the UK. Britain passed. Now it just needs to be approved and signed by King Charles III. According to the government, the first deportation flights should begin in ten to twelve weeks.

The law will declare autocratically-ruled Rwanda a safe third country – although British judges have rejected it. They see differently. The law minimizes appeals and gives authorities the power to override domestic courts. Sunak recently announced that she will not let “foreign courts” stop her.

So MEPs in Berlin took the opportunity to reiterate Britain’s commitment to the rule of law and human rights to Sunak. to remind This protest letter states: The decisions of the European Court of Human Rights must be respected and implemented. The erosion of the rule of law will be part of the lessons of European history.

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