The NATO meeting in Ankara had several tasks - to strengthen the unity of the Alliance. For the first time, a defense industry forum was held alongside the summit. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that additional intelligence capabilities, drones and other means of surveillance are needed. According to him, new intelligence drones are already being acquired. Another aspect was the creation of a Defense, Security and Resilience Bank. The goal is for small and medium-sized companies in the defense sector to receive more affordable financing. However, the question is how NATO countries will provide the funds with which this bank can be capitalized. He announced this to Lili Marinkova in the “FACT“ studio and the program “Conversation“ political scientist Marian Karagyozov.
“There were also contradictions during the meeting. President Donald Trump once again raised the topic of Greenland. This shows that relations between the United States and the European Union cannot be completely smoothed out. Regarding Turkey, the question should be divided into two parts. One is whether Turkey as the host managed to achieve success in organizing the meeting, and the other is what was Turkey's place as a country. Overall, the meeting went without problems and the organization was very good. However, it remains very difficult for Turkey to balance relations between Europe and the United States. Like many other countries, it does not have the tools to offer an independent compromise between Washington and Brussels“, the guest added.
“In addition, it is difficult to achieve complete unity because different countries perceive different threats. Different regional priorities are taking shape within NATO. For the countries on the eastern flank, such as Poland, Germany and the Baltic states, the main threat remains Russia. In the countries on the southern flank, the picture is different. Italy, Spain and Portugal are much more concerned about the instability in North Africa, the migratory pressure and the refugee flows. If the main emphasis is on rearmament against Russia, this requires a certain type of defense capabilities. While for the countries on the southern flank, the emphasis is on maritime capabilities and the protection of the Mediterranean,“ said Karagyozov.
See more of the conversation in the VIDEO.