Swiss defence minister urges overhaul of arms export law, sees ‘trust’ at stake

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ZURICH (Reuters) -Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister urged Swiss lawmakers to press on with loosening curbs on arms exports to help boost international security cooperation as he warned of potential risks facing the neutral country.

The government in February proposed relaxing restrictions on arms exports to bolster its domestic industry and security ties, a sensitive move for a country that has blocked the re-export of its weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

In an interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung newspaper published on Thursday, the day Pfister is due to meet his German counterpart Boris Pistorius, the minister said the restrictive Swiss stance undermined “trust” with its security partners.

“That’s why it’s important for parliament to continue to push ahead with the planned revision of the war materials act: We must ensure that Switzerland is a reliable partner,” he said.

Pfister highlighted the risk of cyber attacks and drone incursions, and said there was “great need for improvement” in defence capabilities to cope with the latter.

Switzerland would soon propose an appropriate system for that purpose, he added.

Pfister was also asked how NATO would react if Switzerland were attacked, and he observed that as a non-member of the alliance, Switzerland is potentially vulnerable to blackmail.

“Drone attacks can also cause great damage,” he said. “Switzerland must therefore be able to cooperate with other armed forces. Stable relationships are important.”

Pfister also addressed Switzerland’s purchase order for U.S. F-35 fighter jets after questions began swirling about whether the Swiss might buy fewer of them due to increased costs.

For now, buying 36 jets still made sense, he said.

(Writing by Dave Graham, Editing by Miranda Murray)