NATO calls on Belgium to invest in warships and fighter jets
On June 22, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg called on Belgium to increase defense spending, especially investing in warships and fighter jets.
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| Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg. Photo: THX/TTXVN |
In a joint press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that Belgium has stopped cutting defense spending, even increased some areas, and NATO encourages the country to increase defense spending and equip new warships and fighter planes.
Last week, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg said that all NATO member countries had stopped reducing defense spending.
At the bloc's summit in Wales in 2014, NATO member states reaffirmed their commitment to allocate 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defense spending.
Countries that have not yet met the 2% target have pledged to reach this level within the next decade.
According to the Union's statistics released last March, only four countries, Estonia, Greece, the UK and the US, achieved the 2% target in 2017./.
