Finnish President Stubb says Ankara Summit is one of the most important NATO summits
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the NATO Summit held in Ankara was one of the most important summits to date. Stubb announced that he and President Erdoğan agreed to deepen cooperation in the defense industry.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke to an AA correspondent on the first day of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Ankara. Stubb noted that the summit took place at a significant turning point in world politics, saying, 'I think this is one of the most important NATO summits we have ever held.'
Stubb stated that the vision he calls 'NATO 3.0' means a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO. Recalling that the target of increasing defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP was set at last year's Hague Summit, Stubb said that the implementation of this target would be addressed at the Ankara Summit.
Pointing out that Türkiye plays a critical role on NATO's southeastern flank, the Finnish President said, 'Türkiye protects the southeastern flank, and we, as Finland, protect the northeastern flank. Therefore, we are interconnected in many ways.'
Stubb noted that the geography where Türkiye is located faces more complex security threats compared to Finland, and underlined that Türkiye has one of the largest armies in NATO. He said that in his meeting with President Erdoğan, they agreed to continue and deepen cooperation in the defense industry.