Germany's incoming Social Democratic (SPD) co-leader Norbert Walter-Borjans struck a pacifist note during the party congress in Berlin on Friday, saying the SPD did not support raising defense spending to 2 percent of the gross domestic product
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2019) Germany's incoming Social Democratic (SPD) co-leader Norbert Walter-Borjans struck a pacifist note during the party congress in Berlin on Friday, saying the SPD did not support raising defense spending to 2 percent of the gross domestic product."Yes to disarmament and no to more weapons. My criterion is not the 2 percent defense spending goal, my criterion is 0.7 percent for development cooperation ... I would like even more of the latter, which is 0.7 percent, and less of the former. That is a peace policy," he said.
The proposal of Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to increase German military presence globally is "irrealpolitik," Walter-Borjans argued, adding the move would "militarize" the German foreign policy. The SPD, a coalition partner of Kramp-Karrenbauer's Christian Democratic Union, will not support this.
"The SPD is more needed today than ever as a party of disarmament and de-escalation. The peace and security talks in Europe are on the wrong path. They say Germany should become more normal and stop shunning military engagement. I say military restraint is not abnormal but increasing saber-rattling is," he said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said this past November that raising military spending to 2 percent of the industrial output by 2031 was ambitious but realistic. Germany plans to reach the 1.5 percent goal by 2024.
