NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urges higher defence spending to strengthen security

Ljubljana: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday called for higher defence spending to ensure security, as the alliance moves toward a goal of increasing collective defence investment.  Addressing the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Ljubljana, Rutte said European allies and Canada “are now on a trajectory” to bring their defence spending closer to that of the United States. “This is necessary to keep the Atlantic, the Arctic, Europe and the United States safe,” Rutte said, noting that member states have committed to investing 5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2035, including 3.5 per cent for core defence expenditure. At present, most of NATO’s 32 members spend less than 3 per cent of their GDP on defence, Xinhua news agency reported. The four-day annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, a consultative body for lawmakers from members and partner countries, concluded on Monday in Ljubljana with 245 delegates in attendance. (IANS)

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