BERLIN
Germany’s opposition Green Party has criticized government plans to increase military spending, saying boosting international development projects and cooperation would be more beneficial to the country.
Green Party lawmaker Agnieszka Brugger said Friday that recent calls to increase the military budget had been influenced by the interests of the defense industry rather than any meaningful policy.
Brugger told The Anadolu Agency: "One who truly favors more responsibility in international politics should strive for making Germany finally honor its commitments for international development cooperation, not for spending more money on armaments."
She criticized recent statements by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s close aides -- Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble -- who claimed that Germany should increase its military spending over the next few years because of recent international crises including the ongoing instability in Ukraine.
'Clever answers'
Brugger, the Green Party’s spokeswoman for defense policy, said: "It is absurd to try to justify calls for more money and armament for the German Armed Forces with the Ukrainian crisis.
"Instead of a return to Cold War mentality, Germany needs to develop clever diplomatic answers. It does not need more tanks."
"Ministers von der Leyen and Schaeuble are apparently guided by the wishes of the defense industry rather than a smart and solidly financed security policy," she said.
German Defense Minister von der Leyen earlier this month cancelled plans to phase-out the country's 280 Leopard 2 tanks and announced the Armed Forces would instead activate a new tank battalion in Bergen, in northern Germany.
'Mindless proposals'
Brugger said current military procurements in Germany were undermined by mismanagement and chaos.
"The recent reforms in the German Armed Forces made problems even worse. If the resources are not used in a meaningful way, than the problems cannot be solved through more money," she added.
She expressed doubts about the recent debate launched by der Leyen last month on the construction of a new defense strategy for Germany.
Brugger said: "The recently launched White Paper process can be thwarted by these mindless proposals, which have no substance, no relevance in security policy.
"The process risks degenerating into a debate only for show."
'Alarming developments'
Der Leyen said last month that, from 2016 onwards, the German armed forces would act under a new strategy and take more responsibility for international "peace and stability."
Der Leyen emphasized that "alarming developments" relating to "international terrorism" along with the rise of the self-proclaimed Daesh, or ISIL, and the Ukrainian crisis had shown the need for a change in Germany’s existing defense strategy White Paper, which dates back to 2006.
Public opinion in Germany had been largely against taking any military role in international conflicts but, in recent months, German government officials have been advocating a more active foreign policy supported by military measures.
The opposition parties have criticized the plans and warned that further militarization of German foreign and defense policy would be counterproductive and may lead to new confrontations in the region.
