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icymist

(15,888 posts)
Sun Mar 19, 2017, 06:15 PM Mar 2017

Germany owes zero debt to NATO - defense minister (How to Piss Off Allies 101)

Germany's defense minister has rejected US President Donald Trump's assertion that Berlin owed "vast sums of money" to NATO. Relations between the two allies have soured over Germany's military spending commitments.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on Sunday that "there is no account where debts are registered with NATO," responding to accusations by US President Donald Trump that the Berlin government was in debt to the military alliance.

The German defense minister also questioned how military spending was calculated, arguing that a country's financial commitment to the military alliance shouldn't be the only measure.

<snip>
During the two leaders' talks, Merkel had already reiterated her government's commitment to increasing military spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a target NATO member states formally agreed in 2014 to reach within 10 years.

http://www.dw.com/en/germany-owes-zero-debt-to-nato-defense-minister/a-38015228

The Hair Furor wants money so he can divert it to his own pockets.
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