Deepening Cooperation Between Germany and Canada in Defense and Critical Minerals: New Horizons in International Partnership
Germany and Canada announced a new agreement aimed at significantly strengthening bilateral cooperation in defense and in the extraction of strategically vital minerals.
The announcement was made on August 26 during a joint press conference in Berlin, attended by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
They emphasized their commitment to further enhancing their partnership, especially considering current geopolitical challenges and economic instability caused by U.S.-imposed tariffs and sanctions.
Merz expressed optimism about new opportunities for collaboration, particularly in reducing dependence on Russian and Chinese resources and technologies.Against the backdrop of global economic transformations and restrictive sanctions from the U.S., the European Union and Germany are striving to increase their energy and resource independence.
Canada emerges as a strategic partner in this effort; the country hosts over 200 mines extracting various metals and minerals, many of which are critically important for modern technologies and the defense industry.According to Carney, Canada seeks to join the EU’s rearmament plan to diversify supply chains and decrease reliance on the United States and China.
He highlighted that these countries and global supply chains are the most vulnerable in the current world economy, especially considering factors such as the pandemic and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.In addition to economic issues, high-level discussions also covered security concerns for Ukraine, although specific details about assistance remained undisclosed.
Merz also stated that Germany does not currently plan to support Western allies’ initiative to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly, considering that the necessary conditions for such a move have not been met.