By Anadolu staff
BERLIN (AA) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday that European countries must boost their defense investments to address growing security challenges and threats.
“We will only secure peace in Europe if we use our own strength to ensure that borders are not moved by force and remain untouched. That is the basis for peace,” Scholz said.
He made these remarks while visiting a manufacturing plant in the eastern city of Goerlitz, where the German-French arms company KNDS plans to expand its production of tanks and armored vehicles.
“In view of the geopolitical changes, one thing is clear: Europe must be strong in its own right. Then we will also be a strong, indispensable partner for our transatlantic ally,” Scholz said, referring to possible changes in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
“To achieve this, we need a closely integrated European defense industry instead of dozens of competing manufacturers and systems. We are discussing how to move forward on this during our meetings in Brussels,” he added.
Scholz said European countries should unite their efforts in developing new weapons systems and coordinate the procurement of armaments and military equipment.
His remarks follow Trump's recent comments criticizing European allies for not meeting NATO's defense spending targets and his threats to withdraw from the alliance. Last month. Trump demanded that European allies spend 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense—more than double NATO's current 2% target.