MOSCOW (Sputnik) — German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that Germany and France are committed to pressing forward with the proposal to strengthen European defense policy amid the UK vote to leave the union. She made the statement while presenting a new military roadmap for Germany that provides for a significant build up of its military personnel and a larger defense budget.
"Germany for the last ten years has been on a path of buying assets of all defense industry's sectors, partially buying back some French assets, constructing a very big and efficient defence industry on its own, modernizing its armed forces, moving its headquarters, professionalizing its land forces. Germany is envisioning itself as a main military power on the continental part of Europe, however, it likely to fail due to lack of any real foreign policy autonomous from the United States," Nicolas Dhuicq said.
"In France’s interests is to cooperate on the security matters with the United Kingdom rather than with Germany and Brexit should not change a thing in this strategic partnership," Nicolas Dhuicq said.
London and Paris have a long history of military cooperation, Dhuicq said, pointed out that since the Crimean War of 1853-1856 the two countries have remained allies.
