Denmark signs military agreement with France - The Local

Defence minister Nicolai Wammen. Photo: Jens Nørgaard Larsen/Scanpix

Published: 04 Jul 2014 11:24 GMT+02:00Updated: 04 Jul 2014 11:24 GMT+02:00

A closer alliance with the French military is a natural choice for Denmark, the defence minister said.

The Danish and French militaries will be working closer together in the future.

 

Defence Minister Nicolai Wammen announced on Thursday that he has signed a new defence agreement with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

 

“We already have a good relationship with France, but the agreement gives us the opportunity to strengthen the tight bonds between our countries even more,” Wammen said. “It is a clear advantage for the Danish military because we can learn a lot from the Frenchmen.” 

 

Danish and French forces have worked together on numerous occasions, including the recent effort in Mali.

 

Wammen said the purpose of the agreement was to find areas of cooperation in which the two countries can learn from each other. Denmark’s Herculus military transport aircraft will be brought up to French air-drop standards to make future cooperation easier and the French and Danish navies will train together in both Arctic and tropical waters, according to the deal.

 

Wammen said the purpose of the agreement was to find areas of cooperation in which the two countries can learn from each other. 

 

“As a country with limited resources and an active foreign policy, it is naturally valuable to have a close relationship with a country like France,” Wammen said. 

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