Germany, UK ink deal to boost defense cooperation

Germany and the United Kingdom hammered out Wednesday a defense declaration, the first of its kind between the two NATO allies, to buttress cooperation and coordination in defense development and procurement. The deal, signed by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and UK Defense Secretary John Healey in Berlin, includes calls to bolster the defense industries in both countries, cooperate more closely on the development and procurement of weapons, and coordinate "even better" on support for Ukraine, Pistorius said. The pact would "strengthen the European pillar within NATO and thus NATO as a whole," Pistorius told a joint press conference. For his part, Healey said the deeper cooperation in the defense sector would boost both nations' security as well as "national economies." "Our new defense declaration between the UK and Germany will kickstart a deep, new defense relationship, built on our nations' shared values," Healey said. He stressed that the UK new government is getting on with the job and reset ting relationships with European Allies to make Britain secure at home and strong abroad. Britain's Defense Ministry said the two nations would also work together to tackle security challenges such as in the cyber domain. Source: Kuwait News Agency