Britain and Germany are negotiating a bilateral defense agreement and plan to conclude it by early 2025, according to the office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Earlier, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will receive Starmer in Berlin on August 28. He said the two sides would hold talks “on bilateral and foreign policy topics” as well as European and economic policy issues.
“A new treaty between the UK and Germany will be a key element of a broader reset of the UK’s relationship with Europe and will build on the defense agreement currently being negotiated between the two countries, which is expected to be finalized in the fall… Both sides want to agree a new partnership in early 2025,” the UK prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Starmer’s negotiating team will spend the next six months agreeing a new deal, the statement said.
The prime minister’s office also said that as part of a two-day visit to Europe, Starmer will attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Paris on Wednesday evening and meet with French business leaders the following day.
Starmer has repeatedly said he intends to forge a new relationship with the European Union. In its election manifesto, Labor announced plans to conclude a security pact with the European bloc, strengthen defense cooperation with France and Germany and partners in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). In addition, the new government intends to discuss trade in agricultural goods between Britain and the EU to reduce border checks and solve the problem of food prices, as well as raise the issue of mutual recognition of professional qualifications to open new markets for British exporters of services. At the same time, the new government has no plans to return to the single European market, RIA Novosti reports.
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