European army would not be a replacement for NATO, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said.
“We have a lot to thank NATO for,” he said during a visit to a military headquarters in the western German city of Koblenz.
“My advice is, let’s not take refuge in alternatives that are not available. The European army is an idea, but it is not an adequate substitute for the security provided by NATO,” he said.
Germany must make greater contributions to the Western defence alliance in the coming years, the president argued.
While the German military, or Bundeswehr, has changed over the decades, the question of what its soldiers serve for has not, said Steinmeier.
“That is the protection of our free democratic basic order. It is the protection of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human dignity.”
Steinmeier also referenced a coalition agreement announced on Wednesday in Berlin to form the next German government.
“We are meeting here on a special day, after weeks of negotiations on a coalition agreement,” the president told soldiers.
He added that there was hope that the new government’s priorities would include strengthening the Bundeswehr.
dpa
