China, Russia, Iran and DPRK are axis of autocracies that threaten world order - Merz
The leader of the Christian Democratic Union and German chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz said that China, Russia, Iran and the DPRK are a revanchist, anti-liberal axis of states that threaten the entire world peace order.
The German politician said this during a speech in Berlin, Ukrinform reports, Censor.NET informs.
He noted that China, Russia, as well as Iran, North Korea and others do not work in isolation from each other, but rather closely interact.
"Over the past decade, an axis of autocracies has emerged that has a destabilizing influence in all regions of the world, destabilizing the political West and using crisis events to its advantage. We are facing nothing less than a revanchist anti-liberal axis of states that openly seeks systemic competition with liberal democracies. This axis of autocracies supports each other in many ways," the German chancellor candidate said.
In particular, Merz pointed out that Iran supplies Russia with drones, China with semiconductors, and North Korea with troops and ammunition. In turn, Russia has recently cooperated with Iran in Syria, supplies cheap oil and gas to China, and both Russia and China support North Korea in its economic survival and military development.
"This isn’t about minor support measures, but rather a strategic balance. North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads could soon reach the American mainland," the German politician emphasized.
Speaking about the war in Ukraine, the CDU leader noted that despite Russia’s massive human and material losses, there are no signs of a "shift in mindset." According to Merz, Russian dictator Putin has transformed his country into a war economy and continues to rearm on a scale that far exceeds the needs of Russia's own national defense.
"Thus, his (Putin's - ed.) claims will not be limited to Ukraine, but will extend to the entire territory of the former Soviet Union. Experts give us only a few years until Russia will be able to challenge NATO in a conventional armed way," the politician said.
Finally, Merz added that Germany needs to optimize its foreign and security policy.
As a reminder, on January 17, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Massoud Peseshkian signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" agreement between the two countries in Moscow on January 17.
