The Security Policy Committee of the National Council, the lower house of the Swiss parliament, said that it opposed returning 30 decommissioned Leopard 87 tanks to Germany since they were necessary for the Swiss military.
GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2023) The Security Policy Committee of the National Council, the lower house of the Swiss parliament, said that it opposed returning 30 decommissioned Leopard 87 tanks to Germany since they were necessary for the Swiss military.
"The Committee, on the other hand, turned down in a 8-to-2 vote a parliamentary initiative to return to Germany 30 out of 96 Leopard 87 tanks that are now decommissioned by the Swiss military," the statement, issued on Friday, read.
Members of the committee believe that these tanks serve as a strategic reserve that could be used to ensure full equipment of Switzerland's tank units.
Switzerland has previously rejected requests from Germany and other European countries to allow them to re-export Switzerland-produced munitions to Ukraine, saying that such a move would violate the country's neutrality since these supplies would go to a conflict party.
Russia has criticized the West for providing Ukraine with weapons instead of enabling peace talks and warned that further efforts to arm Ukraine will only prolong the conflict.
