Meeting of NATO Defense Ministers: Brussels, 26-27 June
Agenda: progress on fairer burden sharing, Russia’s violation of INF Treaty, NATO’s defense and deterrence, new technologies, NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.
Articol de Amalia Bojescu, 26 Iunie 2019, 14:37
Defense Ministers from NATO and partner countries meet in Brussels, on 26-27 June, to take decision to continue modernizing the Alliance. Ahead of the two-day meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg outlined the key topics for discussion, including Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, progress on burden sharing, NATO’s defense and deterrence posture, new technologies and NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.
Ministers will discuss progress on fairer burden sharing within the Alliance. The Alliance estimates that for this year, only seven NATO members will allocate at least 2% of GDP to the Defense budget: the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Romania, Greece, Latvia and Estonia. “Today, we are releasing for the first time figures for 2019 defense spending and I can announce that the real increase for 2019 is 3.9% across European Allies and Canada”, said the Secretary General. He underlined that Allies have stepped up with five consecutive years of growth in defense spending. “By the end of next year, European Allies and Canada will have added a cumulative total of well over one hundred billion dollars since 2016,” he said. Allies are also investing more in new capabilities and stepping up with more forces for NATO missions and operations.
On Wednesday (26 June 2019), ministers will address Russia’s continuing violation of the INF Treaty. “We call on Russia to take the responsible path”, said the Secretary General, adding that Allies are planning to hold a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council next week to raise this issue again. Ministers are expected to decide on NATO’s next steps, in the event Russia does not return to full and verifiable compliance with the INF Treaty.
Ministers will also discuss the security implications of new technologies, together with EU High Representative / Vice President Federica Mogherini and counterparts from Finland and Sweden. “These technologies raise challenges and opportunities for us all, and this could be a promising area for future NATO-EU cooperation”, said the Secretary General.
On Thursday (27 June 2019), ministers will address implementation of NATO’s strengthened deterrence and defense posture, including NATO Readiness Initiative. Ministers are also expected to approve NATO’s first overarching space policy. “NATO can serve as a key forum, bringing Allies together to share capabilities and information” said the Secretary General.
Afghanistan will also be high on the agenda, with a meeting of all nations contributing to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission. “While the security situation remains serious, we see a unique opportunity for peace,” said the Secretary General. NATO Allies fully support U.S. efforts to reach a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, and the Alliance’s continued commitment, both with forces and funding, is key to creating the conditions for peace.
Source:RRA.NATO Press Room
