The government would like to conclude a security and defense partnership with the European Union, he announced on Wednesday, saying that this would not go against its neutrality.
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This announcement comes two days after the signing of such an agreement between the EU and Canada, and the same day a summit of NATO opens, an organization of which Switzerland is not part.
During his day’s meeting, the Federal Council “decided to start exploratory discussions with the EU about a security and defense partnership,” he said in a statement.
“Through these partnerships, the EU offers third states a framework to strengthen collaboration in this area,” explains the Federal Council, which hopes to launch these discussions with Brussels “as soon as possible”.
Great Britain signed a similar defense partnership in May, and Australia and the EU announced last week that they had started negotiations for another partnership.
According to the Swiss government, such a partnership is “an essential condition for the realization of common acquisitions in the field of armaments”. He also believes that it would be “compatible with the principle of neutrality of Switzerland and can help it strengthen its defense capacity”.
Nestled in the heart of Europe, Switzerland is not part of the EU, nor NATO.
The world geopolitical tensions, in particular the war in Ukraine, give birth among the Swiss the desire for greater cooperation with NATO, according to a survey published on June 17 by the Federal Department of Defense.
According to this survey, 53% of those questioned were in favor of rapprochement with NATO, while 32% supported Switzerland to this organization.
APO/RJM/Tez
