The German
government has rejected a request from Lithuania for Boxer tanks, according to
a newspaper report. The decision has been criticized by both sides of the
German governing coalition.
Deutsche Welle, 22 Feb 2015
A German soldier (R) looks on as an officer (R) calibrates the weapons of a Boxer tank in the OP North base, near Baghlan on March 28, 2012. Johannes Eisele/ AFP/Getty Images |
The German
government has said it will not fulfill a request from its NATO ally and
European Union partner Lithuania for the delivery of so-called Boxer tanks, a
media report said on Sunday, citing the German Defense Ministry.
"A
delivery of armored transport vehicles from the German army or the resale of
vehicles that are to be procured in the next few years is not in our
plans," a ministry spokesman said, according to Die Welt am Sonntag.
The paper
reported that the decision was made in view of the German military's own requirements.
Lithuania's
request came amid security fears fueled by Russia's alleged role in fighting in Ukraine, where Moscow has been accused by several countries of fomenting a
pro-Russian insurgency and supplying weapons, equipment and even troops to
support pro-Russian separatists. Moscow has denied any role in fighting and
maintains any Russian soldiers in Ukraine are "volunteers."
Disputed
decision
The
decision by Berlin to reject the request has been criticized by defense
commentators on both side of the governing German grand coalition, the paper
said.
"We
have a great interest in increasing the capability of our NATO partners in the
Baltic," Social Democrat defense expert Rainer Arnold was quoted as
saying.
Florian
Hahn of the CSU, the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's
Christian Democrats, said the fears of Baltic states were justified in view of
the Ukraine crisis.
"In
this position we are required to support our NATO and EU partners as much as
possible. That is also the case for procurement plans like this one for the
Boxer transport tank," he said.
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