Published : Thursday, 29 August, 2024 at 12:00 AM Count : 303
BERLIN, Aug 28: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on a visit to Berlin Wednesday that a planned new treaty with Germany was part of his nation's push to mend EU ties damaged by Brexit.
The move toward a reset, welcomed by German leader Olaf Scholz, will also include the British premier travelling to Paris for talks with President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday.
Starmer said the proposed accord, set to include a defence agreement and deeper links on science, technology as well as trade, was hoped to be agreed by year's end.
The British premier called the planned treaty a "once in a generation chance" to aid a "wider reset" in UK-EU ties.
Scholz welcomed his UK counterpart's desire for a "reset", adding: "We want to accept this outstretched hand."
Labour had said it would seek a security and defence treaty with Germany if it won the July 4 general election, which it did by a landslide -- propelling Starmer to the premiership.
Starmer's host Scholz has been under pressure to crack down on illegal migration after a suspected Islamist knife attack in the western city of Solingen on Friday.
The stabbing, which left three people dead and eight injured, was allegedly carried out by a 26-year-old Syrian man who evaded attempts by German authorities to deport him. —AFP
