ZURICH (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2023) Swedish Defense Minister Viola Amherd and her Austrian counterpart Klaudia Tanner on Friday signed a document stating the countries' intention to join the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) air defense program, Amherd said.
On Thursday, Tanner and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Bern for a trilateral meeting. Following the document's signing ceremony, the head of the Swiss defense ministry clarified that Austria and Switzerland had added a proviso to the agreement as neutral countries.
"In the additional declaration, we, together with Austria, have retained the right to maintain neutrality and have clearly excluded any possibility of participation or involvement in international military conflicts," Amherd said at a press conference broadcast by the Swiss government.
Later on Friday, the German Defense Ministry confirmed the intention of Austria and Switzerland to join the ESSI.
"In addition, the agreement on cooperation in the field of military research and technologies was signed. The pooling of expertise, for example in infrared and radar decoys, will be useful for combined potential and cost reduction," the ministry said on Twitter.
The ESSI was launched by Germany in August 2022 and currently involves 17 countries, including NATO members such as the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Estonia, and Norway. In February 2023, Sweden, a NATO candidate country, and Denmark joined the initiative.
