Nine NATO member countries reach the goal of investing 2% of GDP in defense

MADRID, 28 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Nine NATO member countries have reached this Monday the investment objective of two percent in defense agreed at the Wales Summit in 2014, and another 19 have established "clear plans" to reach such a figure in 2024, motivated by the threat that means for the West the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This means that most of the 30 States that make up the Atlantic Alliance comply with the promise they agreed to in 2014 to reach an investment of two percent of GDP in defense within a maximum period of ten years, as reported by the secretary general of the NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, in a statement.

"Nine allies now meet, or exceed, the two percent target. 19 allies have clear plans to reach it by 2024... Two percent is increasingly seen as a floor, not a ceiling," Stoltenberg said. after detailing that member countries have also agreed to invest more in NATO.

Likewise, in 2022 spending on national armies and on weapons of European countries and Canada will increase for the eighth consecutive year, as Stoltenberg explained in statements collected by German public television, ARD.

It has also announced that during the Madrid Summit, to be held on June 28, 29 and 30, member countries will strengthen their "advanced defenses" and battle groups in the eastern part of NATO.

"We will transform the NATO Response Force and we will increase the number of our High Readiness Forces to more than 300,000 (...) We will also enhance our reinforcement capacity in crisis and conflict situations", added the secretary general of the Alliance Atlantic.

In 2014, NATO countries decided -- then in response to Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula -- to move closer to the two percent of Gross Domestic Product target within ten years. Even so, this agreement was of a political nature and was not binding, so no consequences were foreseen for those countries that did not meet the agreed objectives.

On the other hand, the Secretary General of NATO thanked the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the President of Finland, Sauli Niniiströ, for having accepted his invitation to attend a meeting prior to the Madrid Summit to discuss accession to the Atlantic Alliance of Finland and Sweden.

"We have worked hard since Finland and Sweden applied to make sure they can join the Alliance as soon as possible. At the same time, we must take into account the concerns expressed by the Allies and, in this case, clearly expressed by Turkey." , Stoltenberg has detailed in a press conference held this Monday.

"The objective of that meeting is, of course, to advance the accession of Finland and Sweden. I will not make any promises. But I can assure you that we are actively working to ensure progress. Because the applications of Finland and Sweden to join NATO are historic," he added.

Stoltenberg has assured that the possible joining of Finland and Sweden to the Alliance "will strengthen NATO", and will be "something that will contribute to stability in the Euro-Atlantic area, Europe and North America".

Until now, Turkey has blocked the accession of Finland and Sweden to the Atlantic Alliance because it considers that the Scandinavian countries grant favorable treatment to organizations such as the PKK, declared a terrorist group by their country. In addition, Finland and Norway have placed arms embargoes on Turkey.

Finland and Norway applied in May to join NATO in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but entry requires the unanimous support of the 30-member military coalition.