NATO's annual summit begins in Ankara

The two-day annual NATO summit opened in Ankara Turkey on Tuesday. The focus of discussion at the summit is on increasing defense investment, the strengthening of military industrial output, and continued support for Ukraine.

Leading the Croatian delegation at the summit is President Zoran Milanović; he is being accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid. Also part of the Croatian team in Ankara are Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman. However, while President Milanović and General Kundid arrived the official government plane, which is reserved for the use of the president, prime minister, and parliament speaker, the ministers arrived by regular airline.

The summit opened this morning with a defense industry forum, which highlighted how alliance members are taking increasing initiative - both in joint research and production in the defense industry, to strengthen deterrence and defense capabilities. For NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, one such example is the plan of some member states to replace the ageing airborne warning system: “For decades NATO has relied on the fleet of E-3 airborne warning and control systems that have been our eyes in the skies. They have been deployed from northern Norway to southern Turkey; they have served us well and continue to do so. But they're reaching the end of their lives. Today, several allies are announcing the joint procurement of up to ten SAAB GlobalEye aircrafts to replace them. This will ensure we keep NATO's owned and operated surveillance and early warning capability strong and credible for decades to come.”

Allied leaders are also hoping to find some common ground with US President Donald Trump, who has been highly critical of NATO, and has pressured NATO members agree to ramp up their security-related spending to five percent of GDP. Trump has also taken issue with the reluctance of most NATO allies to partake in the US-Israeli-led attack on Iran.

Meanwhile, Russia has said that it is keeping a keen eye on developments in Ankara. According to the Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, Moscow will closely monitor the summit and any documents that emerge from the gathering: “During preparations for the summit, we heard many statements concerning our country. Unfortunately, these were not statements calling for a constructive approach and dialogue, but rather ones directed at confrontation. We will see what kind of documents will emerge out of all of this, what kinds of statements will be made, which documents will be signed, and what will be said during the bilateral meetings on the margins of the summit.”

Finally, Turkish police detained anti-NATO protesters who gathered in central Ankara this morning in spite of the tight security in place and a general ban on protests during the summit. According to Turkish state television more than fifty-six thousand security forces have been deployed throughout Ankara. There are also reports that hundreds of people have already been detained across Turkey ahead of the rally, including journalists, academics and members of left-wing groups. When asked about Turkey's crackdown, NATO Secretary General Rutte stressed the importance of the right to protest but apparently did not address the issue with his host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Source: HRT