Britain, Germany sign defense, migration treaty
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met Thursday and held a joint press conference in London to discuss what has been dubbed the 'Kensington Treaty,' a 30-article document that promises cooperation on several aspects.
'I'm working with Germany to deliver results for British people,' Starmer posted to X Thursday. Merz also posted online, and wrote that the treaty marks 'a historic day for German-British relations.'
A specific focus of the accord is on defense, as the document identifies 'the Russian Federation's brutal war of aggression on the European continent as the most significant and direct threat to their security.'
Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to NATO, but the treaty declared that the two would 'pursue deep exchanges on strategic aspects of security policy,' and shall 'increase cooperation on intelligence and national security capabilities in order to contribute effectively to this goal.'
Another facet of the pact deals with migration issues, in which the United Kingdom and Germany will lock in an annual 'Home Affairs dialogue at senior official level' which would deal with crimes related to 'migrant smuggling and border security.'
'Germany has committed to change their law so we can disrupt the supply of small boats,' Starmer also noted on social media Thursday. 'We will smash the people smuggling gangs and secure our borders.'
According to the treaty, both countries 'will support the provision of mutual legal assistance and the prosecution of offenders involved in the smuggling of migrants into and between the two countries.'
The document also commits that the two nations will expand on this bilateral bond by seeking 'to intensify the trilateral cooperation with the French Republic, as well as their cooperation with other partners, and within multilateral formats such as the G7 and the United Nations, in order to jointly address international challenges.'
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