OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Germany and Norway are seeking to bring their NATO ally Canada on board as a partner in their joint project to build state-of-the-art submarines. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) advocated strongly for Canada's participation in the naval initiative, which aims to construct 212CD-class vessels, during his visit to Ottawa. Just last week, a Canadian delegation held technical discussions in Kiel, home to German submarine manufacturer Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).
"It's no secret that we want to open a new chapter in our partnership," Pistorius said following talks with his Norwegian counterpart Tore Sandvik and Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty in a trilateral meeting. The submarine cooperation, he emphasized, stands for reliability and teamwork in security policy.
Canada plans to replace four aging submarines in the coming years. Among the bidders competing for the contract to build the next-generation models is South Korea. The Canadian government is expected to make a decision on the multi-billion-dollar project by spring at the latest./cn/DP/zb
