“I am ready to continue, if the citizen wants it”
This trust, which you mention, allowed a parent to speak to you about Amay’s dramatic events?
“Yes, and I immediately notified the Chief of Defense and the Inspector General so that the investigation could be carried out. For our part, we are now awaiting the judicial investigation. For our part, we proceeded with the dissolution and dismissal of the suspected persons. We are waiting for the minutes to take further action if necessary. I remind you that the victims can still speak, in this case or for others. In Amay, the omerta caused the fear of speaking. I also don’t want to tarnish all the people who work at Amay. Furthermore, I have received feedback from young people who join the army or from their parents to praise my action at this level. They tell me that they feel reassured. Moreover, this has not reduced the number of young people who want to join us. We feel that they have confidence. »
A word on the controversy concerning the Army in the streets to fight against drugs?
“To fight drugs, we need close work with the local police and the fight against organized crime with the federal police. The army has neither the equipment nor the training to intervene in this type of problem. Those who mention this possibility, in fact, are only communicating… It would be more interesting to continue to strengthen the resources of the Police and Justice. I remind you that the N-VA and the MR, in the previous government, disinvested in Defense, Police and Justice. »
Why did they disinvest in these sectors?
“We may be surprised that they have disinvested in the authority services… which protect the population. These are the same people who today say that we are not doing enough. In addition, today, they do not offer real solutions. »
What do you think about when you have to deal with controversies?
“I am very proud of having always had the strength and courage to follow my line despite political commentators, particularly from the opposition. We must not let ourselves be distracted by people who play politics. »
A solution against the extremes?
“I do politics realistically. Doing what we say and providing solutions is the best way to fight against extremes. I am still a woman of action and on the ground. Many young women have told me that I have been an example to them. »
Would you like to reappoint as Minister of Defense?
“It is the voter who will decide, but I will be in favor of continuing my action. There are still concrete things to do. »
“The Ukrainian military has an extraordinary willingness to learn. »
Have we done enough to support Ukraine?
“Since day One, we have supported Ukraine (equipment, care, etc.). We are involved in six coalitions, including the F16 coalition and mine clearance, where we have strong expertise on land and at sea. We are also involved in anti-aircraft defense. »
When can we help them for the F16s?
“We have around fifty soldiers in Denmark, to train Ukrainian pilots and technicians. Obviously, we do not yet have a date for the use of the planes by the Ukrainians, but they had to be trained before being able to use them. They have an extraordinary willingness to learn. They follow these training courses quickly, but it still takes a minimum amount of time to learn. Before delivering a device, we need maintenance personnel, pilots, etc. We can also count on our know-how with Patria for the engines and Sabena Engineering for maintenance. We are helping Ukraine concretely. »
Are we continuing to treat Ukrainians in our hospitals?
“One left, we had five. These were very seriously injured soldiers. »
And for the Gaza-Israel conflict, what are we doing?
“At the beginning, we brought back a series of nationals after the hostage-taking. Then we sent humanitarian goods via army planes. We cannot tolerate the civilian population being left with nothing. Medical personnel were deployed via the French ship Dixmude to treat the wounded in Gaza. Medical equipment was sent to Egyptian hospitals. We also allowed airdrops, because we have soldiers experienced in this area, of 164 tonnes of equipment by Belgium over Gaza. »
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