"Poland can serve as an example for other NATO members when it comes to defense spending," said the Secretary General of the NATO, Jens Stoltenberg on Friday. He indicated that the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Warsaw is a part of preparations for July summit.
Spring Session of NATO Parliamentary Assembly commenced on Friday and will last until 28 May. Jens Stoltenberg will appear in the Polish parliament on Monday. The NATO summit that will gather the heads of the member states has been scheduled on 11 and 12 July in Brussels.
"At the moment we’re working on the decisions regarding possibilities of increasing deterrence and defense measures, tackling terrorism, training mission in Iraq, reinforcing cooperation with the EU as well as how to modernize the NATO," said Stoltenberg.
Mr Stoltenberg also emphasised the importance of a discussion regarding the share of contributions, especially when it comes to defense spending.
Poland, together with four other countries, have reached the required 2-percent of the GDP threshold dedicated to defence spending, unlike many other countries that still have a long way to go until they reach that level.
This causes tensions within the alliance. Mainly, the United States voice their dissatisfaction.
Example to others
The head of NATO mentioned that Poland's efforts should inspire other countries to do more. In this context, he pointed out that since the Newport summit in 2014, all the member-states ceased defense spending cuts and started to increase the expenses.
"Poland can serve as an example when it comes to defense spending, as it has reached the 2-percent threshold. We welcomed this fact with satisfaction," said Mr Stoltenberg. "Poland is an important member of the NATO and it significantly contributes to our common defence and security in many different ways," he added.
No decision yet
NATO has not made a decision yet regarding the deployment of headquarters in accordance with the reform. Polish offer is still on the table, according to Jens Stoltenberg.
"We still haven't made any decisions. We still need to work on the possible locations of various new headquarters. It's still premature to say where they will be located," said the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24, PAP