Australia signs pre-agreement to build 100 combat vehicles for Germany

Sydney, Australia, Jul 10 (EFE).- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday during an official visit to Germany that his country has signed a preliminary agreement to manufacture 100 Boxer armored combat vehicles for Berlin in his country.

“This is one of the largest defense trade agreements in Australian history” valued at AUD1 billion ($664 million), Albanese said after signing the agreement in Berlin, according to a statement from his office.

The vehicles will be built by the subsidiary of German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall in Redbank, in the Australian state of Queensland.

Albanese, who arrived Sunday night on an official trip to Germany, is scheduled to meet German counterpart Olaf Scholz on Monday before attending the North Atlantic Treaty summit on Tuesday and Wednesday in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Australia, like New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, participates as a guest country in the summit of NATO leaders, where the war in Ukraine will be addressed, among other issues.

Australia is one of the non-NATO countries that has sent significant humanitarian and military aid packages to Ukraine, in addition to sanctioning more than a thousand Russian politicians, companies and institutions for the invasion that began on Feb. 24, 2022.

Albanese, attending the NATO summit for the second time, is considering the possibility of meeting bilaterally with different leaders, including the presidents of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; France, Emmanuel Macron, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. EFE

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