What do the parties in North Rhine-Westphalia say on foreign affairs and defence?

The AfD wants to modernize the Bundeswehr comprehensively and bring back compulsory military service. The platform argues that only a country able to defend itself can help shape the international order and conduct effective diplomacy.

The AfD wants to equip the army better. Young people should have to do military service again. The party says only a strong country has a say in the world. Soldiers should get more respect.

The CDU wants to support the federal government in better equipping the Bundeswehr so it can defend the country and its allies. It bases this on the security situation changed by the war against Ukraine.

The CDU wants a stronger Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. It should be able to defend Germany and its partners. The federal government should keep its promise of more money. Officers should keep informing students in schools about the military.

The FDP wants to expand North Rhine-Westphalia's partnerships with Ghana, Israel and European regions. Town twinning arrangements are also to receive advice and project funding.

NRW has partners in other countries. These include Ghana and Israel. The FDP wants to work more closely with these partners. Partnerships between cities should also get help.

The Greens want to strengthen development-related engagement in NRW, from volunteering and educational programs to cooperation with the partner countries South Africa and Ghana. Town twinning is to be oriented toward sustainability goals, human rights and fair trade. Municipal climate partnerships are to get a state advisory office and funding.

Many people in NRW volunteer to help people in poorer countries. The Greens want to support this work more. NRW should work more closely with South Africa and Ghana. Cities should protect the climate together with partner cities. The state should provide an advice office and money for this.

The Greens commit to the Bonn-Berlin Act and want to keep supporting the federal city of Bonn through a supplementary contractual agreement. NRW is to take a leading role in development cooperation and establish itself as a conference location for human rights, peace, sustainability and democratization.

Many international organizations are based in Bonn. The Greens want to keep supporting this location. There should be an extra agreement for this. NRW should become an important place for meetings on human rights and peace. The state should lead the way in helping poorer countries.

The Greens want to set up a protection program in NRW for people who are persecuted in their home countries because of their work, faith, appearance or orientation. It is modeled on the Bundestag program "Parlamentarier schützen Parlamentarier" (parliamentarians protect parliamentarians). Those affected are to be safe in NRW and able to continue their work.

People are persecuted in many countries. This affects journalists, lawmakers and people from minorities, for example. The Greens want to give these people protection in NRW. There should be a special program for this. The Bundestag has had such a program since 2003.

The SPD wants to deepen the state's partnerships with Ghana and South Africa, promote fair trade, and consolidate Bonn as a UN city and second federal political center. It commits to a Europe of peace and disarmament and to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The SPD wants to work more closely with Ghana and South Africa. The focus is on climate protection and clean energy. Fair trade should get more support. The city of Bonn should become more important as a United Nations location. The SPD stands for peace and disarmament in Europe.