If you combine the energy diplomacy with the encouragement of bilateral military assistance programming between the United States and these countries, in the spirit of the Partnership for Peace, I hasten to add, and if you add to that the direction taken by PFP, Partnership for Peace, itself in the region in terms of building autonomous military capacity and linking the militaries of the region to NATO, this is actually profoundly disturbing in Moscow.

whereas Article 41(2) TEU prohibits expenditure from EU budgets on operations having military or defence implications, while not explicitly excluding EU financing of military tasks such as peacekeeping operations with development objectives; whereas the common costs are charged to the Member States under the Athena mechanism; whereas, while the primary objective of EU development policy is the reduction, and in the long term the eradication, of poverty, Articles 209 and 212 TFEU do not explicitly exclude the financing of capacity-building in the security sector; whereas the EDF and the APF, as instruments outside the EU budget, are re ...[+++]levant in addressing the security-development nexus; whereas the EDF requires that programming is designed to meet the criteria of Official Development Assistance (ODA), which mostly exclude security-related expenses; whereas the EU is working on the possibility of additional dedicated instruments in the context of its initiative on Capacity Building in Support of Security and Development (CBSD).

The Iranian regime is providing increasing military assistance to the Assad regime; it refuses to comply with UN resolutions pertaining to its nuclear program; it routinely threatens the existence of Israel and engages in racist anti-Semitic rhetoric and incitement to genocide; it is among the world’s worst violators of human rights; and it shelters and materially supports terrorist groups.

The sanctions the EU imposed against Iran's nuclear military programme were followed by countries around the world and helped bring Iran back to the negotiating table.

Canadian participation in foreign internal defence and military assistance programs in conjunction with our allies could enhance our international stature while providing a viable and attractive option for nations that may not seek assistance from our British or American cousins.

There was no question of France, through signature of the Euratom Treaty, having to give up developing a military nuclear programme.