TIRANA, July 1 – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance summit due next week in Ankara should focus on implementation and delivery, with defence spending, support for Ukraine and defence industrial production set as top priorities.
Rutte said allies must concentrate on fulfilling commitments made at last year’s Hague summit, particularly on increasing defence expenditure. He noted that European allies and Canada have significantly raised spending, adding nearly 250 billion dollars over the past two years.
Support for Ukraine will remain a central pillar, he said, alongside efforts to accelerate defence industrial output across the alliance. He stressed that production timelines remain too long despite recent improvements, while overall capacity is still insufficient.
The NATO chief underlined the need to “build NATO 3.0”, describing it as a stronger Europe within a stronger alliance. He said defence production is a key element of deterrence and warned that allies also face shortages in military personnel.
Turning to industrial capacity, Rutte highlighted Turkey’s growing role, saying the country has become a major defence industry hub with around 3,000 companies in the sector. He described Turkey as an important contributor, pointing to its expanding technological base.
Rutte said progress has been made across all three priorities but suggested one could emerge as dominant during the summit, which will also feature the NATO Defence Industry Forum on its opening day.
The Ankara summit, scheduled for 7–8 July, will gather heads of state and government from NATO member countries. It will be the alliance’s 36th summit and the second hosted by Turkey, after Istanbul in 2004.
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