Czech Republic to buy 77 German Leopard tanks

Prague, July 22 (IANS) The Czech Republic plans to acquire at least 77 new Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany in a planned joint purchase, the country's Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said.

After a meeting with her German counterpart Boris Pistorius, Cernochova added on Twitter on Friday that the joint purchase "will significantly simplify and speed up the entire acquisition process and also bring financial savings".

According to her, the Czech Republic would also be interested in participating in the production, repair and servicing of these tanks, Xinhua news agency reported.

If everything goes according to plan, she said the Czech Republic would receive the first modern tanks in 2027.

In May, the Czech Defence Ministry said the country would start talks with Germany on the joint purchase of around 70 Leopard 2A8 tanks.

According to the Czech News Agency report, the Defence Ministry would announce more specific information about the joint purchase, such as price, at the end of the year.

During the meeting, the two Ministers also discussed defence spending, foreign operations and support for Ukraine.

The Czech government said last year that the country's defence spending could reach two per cent of GDP by 2024, a year earlier than previously planned. 

In June this year, the country's President signed legislation that raises the annual defence spending to at least two per cent of GDP from next year.