By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- On Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaking at the 68th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA) emphasized that NATO is engaged in increasing support to Ukraine, strengthening deterrence and defense as well as focusing on adopting a new Strategic Concept. The assembly met in Madrid, Spain where Stoltenberg also emphasized NATO’s focus is heavily on Finland and Sweden joining NATO. He highlighted that lawmakers need to “stay the course together on Ukraine,” adding “if we allow Putin to win, all of us will have to pay a much higher price. Authoritarian regimes around the world will learn that they can get what they want with brute force.”
Stoltenberg emphasized that the most crucial issue up for discussion at next year’s Vilnius Summit will be about investing more in defense and explained that he expects Allies to continue to step up to their commitments beyond 2024. He added that funding even two percent of GDP for defense should be considered “a floor not a ceiling.” The NATO chief also was definitive on Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership, expressing “the time has come to finalize the accession process and to welcome Finland and Sweden into NATO.”
