Continuation of Johnson’s defense and foreign policy in the Truss government

According to IRNA, “Liz Truss” introduced the new members of the government hours after entering No. 10 Downing Street. But among the new faces, “Ben Wallace” was the only option that was retained in his position as the Minister of Defense. He was appointed to this position three years ago by Boris Johnson and in recent months he has played an active role in the field of military cooperation with Ukraine after the start of the war in this country.

Wallace, who is one of the founders of the British-Iranian Parliamentary Friendship Group, is one of the few figures who continued to work last July during the collective resignation of Boris Johnson’s government ministers, and wrote in a tweet to the members of the government: “A number of us, regardless of No matter who is the prime minister, we have to keep the country safe.

He, who according to the results of the polls had a high chance of taking over the position of prime minister, distanced himself from participating in the elections and announced that he would prefer to continue trying to maintain the security of the country.

In this way, Wallace was retained in his position in the new government, focusing on the main British policy towards the developments in Ukraine and opposition to Russia, to continue his duties in this field. Liz Truss, in her first speech as the new Prime Minister of England, appreciated the previous government’s efforts in supporting Ukraine and confronting Russia to convey the message that she does not see the need to change the country’s defense policies.

In his first phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he “emphasized Britain’s unconditional support for the freedom and democracy of this country” and added that Ukraine “has the full support of England and can rely on London’s help for the long term.” »

But James Cloroly, a British military officer who has been involved in diplomacy for two years, is considered a serious supporter of the new prime minister. In February 2020, he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Middle East, North Africa and North America and then transferred to the European Deputy.

On the 7th of July, when Boris Johnson resigned from his position, he was appointed as the Ministry of Education for a few weeks, but on Tuesday night, he was given the helm of the country’s diplomacy.

Cloroley is still a member of the British Army and holds the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 2019, he was registered in the internal elections of the conservative party, but he withdrew less than a week after participating in the competition.

When Boris Johnson was elected Prime Minister of England, he appointed Cleverley as joint secretary of the Conservative Party. In the following year, during the reshuffle of the cabinet, he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked under the leadership of Dominic Raab and then Liz Truss.

Cloroly says that the positions of the new and former government are not much different in the field of foreign policy. Last Monday, in a conversation about the developments in Ukraine, he said: “We must stand firm in our support for the president of Ukraine and the people of this country, and I have no doubt that we will be strong friends for Ukraine as we were during Boris Johnson’s era.”

The approach of the new government towards China has not changed, and London’s critical stance against Beijing continues, according to Cleverly. Also, the special relationship between England and America will be maintained during the Truss era, and the leaders of the two countries will continue to face what are called common challenges.

Regarding the relations related to Iran and the Vienna negotiations, the fact is that England is one of the main designers and implementers of making a case for the Islamic Republic of Iran in the nuclear field, and the change of governments in this country will not affect its approach.

But if it can be claimed that Liz Truss, as the British foreign minister at the time, did not interfere in the case of Iran’s 400 million pound settlement claim and showed a pragmatic attitude to close this case, we can expect that she will have a similar approach as the prime minister in and let the relations between the two countries continue on their way.