• Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Feature
  • Videos
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Feature
Videos
Infographs
In Pictures
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Europe
  4. Swiss parliament greenlights lawmakers to approve purchase of F-35
Europe

Swiss parliament greenlights lawmakers to approve purchase of F-35

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 12 Sep 2022 22:31

Switzerland’s decision to buy the F-35A fighter jets has been mired in controversy as military neutrality is the central tenet of Swiss foreign policy.

  • Swiss parliament greenlights lawmakers to approve purchase of F-35
    Swiss parliament greenlights lawmakers to approve purchase of F-35

The Swiss parliamentary committee on security policy on Monday gave the green light to the purchase of 36 US-made F-35A fighter jets for the national army despite resistance from the country's opposition.

"The committee of the National Council [the lower house of the Swiss parliament] has taken into account the report of the Control Committee of the National Council and believes that this report does not contain any elements that question the assessment procedure. Therefore, it requests the Council to agree on the purchase of 36 F-35A fighter jets by 17 votes to eight," the parliament said in a statement.

According to the committee, the Swiss authorities had no other choice but to buy this type of jet as it had shown the best results in terms of effectiveness and costs among the four types of fighter jets the government had assessed.    

The purchase of 36 F-35A fighter jets will be further discussed by the lower house of the Swiss parliament on September 15.    

In 2021, Switzerland chose the US-made F-35A fighters for the army's needs. The deal provides for the acquisition of 36 fighter jets worth over $6 billion. The Swiss government said F-35s had "the best performance" at a "low price."    

The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland and the Green Party opposed the deal by launching the Stop F-35 initiative and started collecting signatures to trigger the referendum. The initiative was signed by 120,000 people before being handed over to the government.    

Wir haben die #StopF35 Initiative nach weniger als einem Jahr erfolgreich eingereicht! Wir danken allen herzlich für ihre tatkräftige Mithilfe pic.twitter.com/DfDNJbk4uN

— Stop F-35 (@StopF35) August 16, 2022

In late August, the Swiss government announced the impossibility of holding a referendum on the issue before the expiry of the US sales offer on March 31, 2023. The administration asserted that delaying the replacement of the fleet's 55 ailing planes would have detrimental effects on the country's security.

Read more: Switzerland government says referendum on US fighter jets not possible

In light of growing tensions with Moscow, some EU states have already begun to ready themselvse militarily. 

On September 7, Polish Deputy Defence Minister Marcin Ociepa said that Poland is seeing serious risks of war with Russia within 3 to 10 years from now, and should profit from the remaining timespan to ready its military forces.

While NATO, in June, conducted military drills coinciding with the decision to increase troop presence in Europe to 300,000, Russia has also been conducting military drills in the baltic sea. 

Belarussian authorities likewise announced on September 8 that Belarusian armed forces have begun military drills near the Polish border.

The country started planning the maneuvers after President Alexander Lukashenko accused in July NATO of preparing for a war in Eastern Europe, citing increased activity by the military alliance.

Read more: Switzerland to represent Ukraine diplomatically in Russia

  • F-35
  • F-35 fighter jet
  • "Stop-F-35"
  • Switzerland
  • swiss government

Trending Now

All
Erwin Bollinger of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). (Keystone)

Switzerland unfreezes $6.33 bln of Russian assets

Most Read

London posts job ad for mercenaries for Ukraine counteroffensive

London posts job ad for mercenaries for Ukraine's counteroffensive

  • Africa
  • 24 May
The Middle East Stabilises, Against the Backdrop of a Great Unravelling

The Middle East Stabilises, Against the Backdrop of a Great Unravelling

  • Analysis
  • 28 May
In this image released by the Italian firefighters, a helicopter searches for missing passengers after a tourist boat capsized in a storm on Italy's Lago Maggiore in the northern Lombardy region, May 28, 2023 (AP)

Top Israeli intelligence official dead in Italy: Israeli media

  • Europe
  • 29 May
The domestically produced C919 passenger jet flies at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, Peoeple's Republic of China, 8 November 2022. (Reuters)

China is set to launch first commercial flight on its C919 plane

  • Asia
  • 26 May

Read this

All
Chief of the Australian Defence Force Gen. Angus Campbell bites his lips while delivering the findings from the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry, in Canberra, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP)
Asia Pacific

Australian Defense bans drinking while deployed due to war crimes

  • 30 May
Elon Musk
Asia

Musk in China, Tesla to continue expanding business with Asian giant

  • 30 May
The US Treasury Building is viewed in Washington, US on May 4, 2021. (AP)
US & Canada

US issues new sanctions on Syria, targets two money service businesses

  • 30 May
Casualties in Ukraine strike on evacuee housing centers in Belgorod
Europe

Casualties in Ukraine strike on evacuee housing center in Belgorod

  • 30 May
Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS