NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made important statements at a press conference after the conclusion of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ankara. Rutte said the summit was 'extremely successful' and praised President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's hospitality.
Rutte stated that the summit's message was 'NATO delivers results,' and that the commitments made at the Hague Summit a year ago were implemented at the Ankara Summit, which took place under Erdoğan's excellent hosting.
2035 target for defense spending
Rutte announced that allies have made significant progress toward the goal of allocating 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending by 2035. He emphasized that the aim is not just to increase spending, but to equip armed forces with the capabilities needed in a more dangerous world.
Rutte said that accelerating production, removing barriers to defense industries, strengthening resilience, and investing in innovation are among the alliance's top priorities, and that European member countries and Canada are assuming greater responsibility in the area of common security.
50 billion dollar deal and drone investment in one day
The NATO Secretary General announced that new procurement deals worth more than 50 billion dollars were signed in just one day at the Defense Industry Forum held as part of the summit, and that allies have launched the 'NATO Drone Edge' initiative. Under this initiative, 40 billion dollars are planned to be invested in unmanned aerial vehicle systems over the next five years.
Rutte also reported that an investment of 27 billion euros will be made in infrastructure to strengthen NATO's fuel supply chain, and noted that new steps have been taken in technology areas such as artificial intelligence and inter-allied military cloud infrastructure.
70 billion euro support for Ukraine and emphasis on collective defense
Rutte announced that the alliance will continue its support for Ukraine, and that allies have committed to providing at least 70 billion euros worth of military aid, equipment, and training this year and next year.
Rutte stated that the principle of collective defense and commitment to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty were reaffirmed once again at the Ankara Summit, and that leaders agreed on updating the alliance and preparing it for future challenges. He said that European allies and Canada, together with the US, will assume a greater role in the defense of the alliance.
Rutte concluded his remarks by saying, 'This is the essence of the NATO 3.0 vision: an alliance that continues to adapt and guarantees the security of one billion people.'
