Geneva, August 10 /BNA/ Swiss Defense Minister Martin Vester announced today that his country is open to the idea of purchasing more American weapons as part of efforts to avoid the high tariffs recently imposed by the United States on Swiss imports.

This came after the failure of recent Swiss talks in Washington to avoid imposing a 39% tariff, which Swiss company officials described as a “terrifying scenario” threatening vital economic sectors such as watchmaking, industrial machinery, chocolate, and cheese.

Vester confirmed in statements to the Swiss Keystone-ATS agency that “military purchases are an important factor in relations with the United States,” pointing to the need to find ways for dialogue with the American side to enhance bilateral relations.

This follows the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose one of the highest tariffs on Switzerland as part of a new tariff package that came into effect last Thursday.

Swiss companies expressed concern about the disparity in tariff rates between countries, with the European Union and Japan receiving 15%, while Britain received only 10%.

On the other hand, the Swiss minister confirmed his country’s commitment to the contract to purchase 36 F-35A fighter jets from the American company Lockheed Martin worth over 6 billion Swiss francs (7.4 billion dollars), noting that there are disagreements over some financial details that require a solution.

It is worth mentioning that Switzerland chose the F-35A jets in June 2021 to replace its old fleet of Eurofighter and F/A-18 planes as part of modernizing its air force, while maintaining its long-standing traditional neutrality policy.