Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd fears that new inconsistencies are emerging within Ruag. In the press, she expressed her annoyance at the latest affair involving the armaments group.
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Министр обороны Швейцарии недовольна концерном Ruag
A basis of trust is necessary for the government and Ruag to work together, she declared on Wednesday in the German-language papers of the Tamedia Group. The trust is still there, “but now I need to know exactly what happened”, she said of the investigation she commissioned last week.
This external investigation relates to Ruag’s purchase of 96 Leopard tanks in Italy and the signing of a purchase contract for these tanks with the German company Rheinmetall. This contract was signed before a formal request for sale had been submitted.
“As a lawyer, this upset me,” commented the Federal Councillor. From a purely legal point of view, the move was legitimate, she added, “but, personally, I would have made the formal request first”.
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Swiss firm already sold Leopard tanks destined for Ukraine
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The Swiss company Ruag wanted to sell the tanks to Germany, which intended to send them to Ukraine.
Viola Amherd says she does not know how the agreement on the tanks has been perceived abroad. There was no mention of it when she met her German counterpart Boris Pistorius in July. “It’s certainly not positive when something like this happens,” she concedes.
As far as the right to neutrality is concerned, Amherd is convinced that no changes are needed. In her view, this right would still be respected even if Switzerland were to cooperate more closely with NATO.
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