ANKARA, May 15. /TASS/. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called on the alliance's foreign ministers to strengthen the organization so that it can "fight off any threat."
"Today will very much be about the summit in the Hague, and it is, first of all ramping up defense spending in Canada and Europe. Nations are committed to that," he said, opening an informal meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Antalya. "We also need the defence industrial output to make sure that we can fight off any threat to NATO, to NATO territory," Rutte emphasized.
He explained that he was referring to the militarization of the European economy and the alliance's increased military spending. "We have to ramp up the defense industry, because with only money, we are not there," he added.
A decision on increasing military spending by NATO countries is expected at the June summit in The Hague. Earlier, Rutte said that NATO countries will have to commit in The Hague to raising the military spending threshold from 2% of GDP to 5% by 2030 or 2032.