MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) Brexit will not signal the end of defense and security cooperation between the United Kingdom and the European Union, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said, but will in fact trigger a new era of cooperation as European states look for alternative formats beyond NATO in which the UK must be a privileged partner.
Kramp-Karrenbauer, who also serves as Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Party in Germany, spoke at the London school of Economics on Thursday, after meeting her UK counterpart, Ben Wallace.
"I am absolutely convinced that the UK has to be even a privileged partner in our cooperation. A privileged third state, because all these initiatives are there to make Europe stronger, and that is especially true for common security and defense policy," Kramp-Karrenbauer stated.
In particular, the German defense minister highlighted the growing importance of the so-called E3 bloc, comprising Germany, the UK and France. She stated that talks in this format had already played a crucial role in formulating common defense policy, outside of NATO frameworks, in relation to Iran, Libya, Iraq and Syria.
"I am also convinced that, especially after Brexit, we will need formats beyond NATO where Germany and Britain can have an effective exchange on European security and I believe that the E3 format, of Germany, Britain and France, has proven to be very successful," Kramp-Karrenbauer remarked.
However, in order to continue this cooperation, the German defense minister warned that tough negotiations lay ahead between London and Brussels, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks to fast-track his Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill by the end of January, and conclude a number of significant trade and defense deals with the EU by the end of the year.
Kramp-Karrenbauer called Brexit a "tragedy," and stated that the energy and time spent on negotiating the UK's withdrawal from the EU could have been better used to tackle other pressing regional and global issues.
The E3 framework was developed in 2003 during negotiations that attempted to limit Iran's nuclear program.
