Krapović: All NATO members agree that it is necessary to increase defense spending, Montenegro is no exception

All NATO members fully agree that it is necessary to significantly increase defense spending, and Montenegro was no exception in this regard, announced Defense Minister Dragan Krapović.

He said that a new package of goals and capabilities was adopted today, "a very demanding and ambitious package, which is directly related to what future defense spending is."

"What I said is that Montenegro will adapt and continue to maintain credible membership through respect and implementation of all decisions made at the summit, it is clear that there will be a significantly larger amount of money allocated for defense needs in all member states, including Montenegro," Krapović said in a video posted by the Ministry of Defense on Facebook.

"Today we discussed in several sessions... The first session was dedicated to the transformation of the Alliance and the ambitious agenda that the Alliance has to meet the newly emerging geopolitical circumstances, and in that direction we discussed, first of all, the further strengthening of the deterrence and defense position of the Alliance itself, of course the military part and the military leadership of the Alliance in a way revealed to us what still needs to be done, what remains in order to achieve the full effect of the deterrence and defense plans," he added.

Krapović stated that in addition to the efforts of the Ministry of Defense to implement the increase in allocations and fully fulfill the package, "we need to have an approach from the entire Government, and I would especially like to emphasize the Ministry of Finance, without which these goals cannot be met."

"Overall, I am satisfied with today's day and the discussion, and I believe that we are heading towards a successful summit in The Hague, which will of course strengthen the Alliance's position and share the burden in a fairer way, because our American allies are right when it comes to the issue of European defense, and I think that Europe itself will allocate more for defense in the coming period," the minister said.

NATO ministers have agreed on "ambitious new military capability goals," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said yesterday, stressing that allies "must invest in the coming years... to keep our defense and deterrence strong and our billion citizens safe."

"I will propose a comprehensive investment plan that will total 5% of GDP for defense investments - 3,5% of GDP for core defense spending and 1,5% of GDP per year for investments in security and defense, such as infrastructure and industry," Rutte said yesterday at a press conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

However, he added that “agreement on what we need was a crucial first step towards meeting those needs,” while decisions on funding would follow at a summit in The Hague later this month. Rutte, as reported by Reuters, said that “the summit declaration will focus on defense spending, defense industry production and support for Ukraine, but the allies are still in talks and the final version has not yet been agreed.”