US troops in Germany are used to build tension in relations with Russia. This is stated in the appeal of the deputies of the Left Party, sent to the federal government of Germany. The document itself, with the text of which was reviewed by RT, is devoted to the possibility of the withdrawal of American troops from Germany.
“The presence of American troops in the region is used to build tension in relations with Russia. US troops in columns along roads and railroads are moving from one American base to another, approaching the western border of Russia, ”said Left Party deputies.
As stated in the document, “these relocations violate the spirit of the“ 2 + 4 Treaty, ”which excludes the possibility of the presence of foreign troops and nuclear weapons in the eastern federal lands.” The Final Settlement Treaty for Germany, also known as the “2 + 4 Treaty,” was concluded in 1990 between the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as the USSR, France, Great Britain and the USA. One of the main points of the document was the guarantee of the full sovereignty of Germany over its internal and external affairs.
Meanwhile, the Bundestag is dissatisfied with the presence of the American armed forces not only in Germany itself, but also in Poland and the Baltic countries.
“In addition, the deployment of troops on a rotational basis in Poland and the Baltic countries jeopardizes the Russia-NATO Founding Act, the latest still valid agreement between the West and Russia on the limitation of non-nuclear weapons,” the request emphasizes.
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- © Hannibal Hanschke
“Cancel the agreement on the stay of troops”
Today, more than 35 thousand American soldiers are in Germany - more than in any other European country, MPs say in their request. In addition, it is emphasized that in the framework of the United States policy in the Middle East, it is the military bases located in Germany that play a particularly important role - they help coordinate the deployment of American forces around Iran and transport troops, as well as continue the "targeted elimination" in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The request also mentions the fact that Germany will have to spend about € 71 million on the military presence of the United States and other foreign groups in 2020, which is also opposed by deputies of the Left Party.
The document also says about the upcoming modernization of 20 US nuclear bombs at the air base in Buchel. So, in July of this year, a number of media outlets, including The Washington Post, reported that in the report of the committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO, the places of storage of 150 units of American nuclear weapons in Europe were accidentally revealed. In particular, the air base in Büchel was included in this list. The report itself, to which the media drew attention, was later deleted.
In this regard, in a request to the German federal government, a number of German deputies demand to terminate the agreement on the presence of foreign troops in the country in accordance with the clause according to which each party has the right to withdraw from the stay agreement by notifying the other parties in two years.
“The German Bundestag calls on the German authorities to cancel the agreement on the stay of foreign troops in the federal republic in accordance with clause 3 of the agreement between the parties to the agreement of 09.25.1990, as well as the agreement on the status of NATO troops in accordance with Art. XIX and ensure that all foreign troops leave the federal republic during the termination period, ”the document says.
In addition, German MPs are calling for Germany to withdraw from NATO's nuclear cooperation and to achieve the immediate withdrawal of American bombs.
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- © Rainer Jensen / dpa
As noted in an interview with RT, the head of the regional problems and conflicts department of IMEMO named after E.M. Primakov RAS Konstantin Voronov, such initiatives indicate the possibility of changing the foundation of Euro-Atlantic security.
“In Germany, the presence of the US Armed Forces is significant, and it is on it that the entire group of American troops in Europe is based. If a key stone is pulled out of this military-political structure of US-European relations, then the whole enormous institutional structure that has been created since the end of World War II will also fall. Do not forget about the presence of American nuclear weapons in the country, which is also especially important for the United States, ”the expert emphasized.
“Bring rockets with you”
Meanwhile, Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, said that if Germany does not increase defense spending to 2% of GDP, Washington may consider withdrawing US troops from the country and transferring them to Poland.
According to the leader of the Left Party faction in the Bundestag, Dietmar Barch, the German government should accept the proposal of the American side. The parliamentarian also noted that in the event of the withdrawal of the US military contingent from Germany, the Americans should "take their nuclear missiles with them."
“If the Americans withdraw their troops, then they should take with them their nuclear missiles. And of course, they should take them home, not to Poland, otherwise this will lead to a sharp deterioration in relations with Russia, which contradicts the interests of Germany and Europe, ”the chairman of the Left Party faction in the Bundestag emphasized.
Statements about the withdrawal of American troops are made not only in Germany, but also in other countries where the United States military bases are located, said Andrei Koshkin, head of the department of political science and sociology at the G.V. Russian Economic University, in an interview with RT. Plekhanov.
“I must say that this problem is not new, quite often the population of Germany, especially during the period of aggravation of relations with the United States, raises the problem of the withdrawal of the US Armed Forces from the country,” the expert noted.
According to him, all this causes tension in Europe, especially when the local population begins to express their dissatisfaction.
“Today we see a certain tendency that embraces European states regarding the presence of the US Armed Forces,” the political scientist concluded.