European Union countries are buying too much of their defense equipment abroad, almost two thirds of it in the United States, and failing to invest enough in joint military projects, a landmark report on EU competitiveness warned on Monday.
NATO
Turkey has taken no concrete steps towards meeting its stated desire to join the BRICS group of emerging economies but “a process is underway,” Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the country’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said on Tuesday.
A joint US-Turkey naval exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, which was never announced by Ankara, and the statements of outgoing US Ambassador Jeff Flake published by Politico, who stressed that Turkey in times of turmoil is even more important, are seen as signs of cooperation and re-engagement between the two countries.
The organization of the NATO exercise Ramstein Flag 24, which is set to be hosted for the first time in Greece, is facing roadblocks due to Turkey’s refusal to recognize part of Athens flight information region (FIR).
Max Bergmann, the director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), joins Thanos Davelis to look at why this year’s 75th anniversary of NATO is an opportunity for the US to lead the way in plotting a new course for NATO and European defense.
Turkey wants to improve its ties with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), but its priority is fulfilling its responsibilities to NATO as an important ally, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has welcomed the “clear commitment” by all NATO member states to commit to spending at least 2% of GDP on defense spending, adding that European countries cannot “just rely” on the US for their defense.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday it is not possible for NATO to continue its partnership with the Israeli administration.
At the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., the defense ministers of Albania, Bulgaria, Italy and North Macedonia signed a Letter of Intent for cross-border military mobility cooperation on Wednesday.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias signed a Letter of Intent on Thursday with his Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts for cross-border military mobility cooperation.
In his first official trip abroad since his election, North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Wednesday referred to his country as “Macedonia” and his government as “Macedonian.”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated NATO’s support for Ukraine in his first comment upon arrival at the NATO summit in Washington on Wednesday.
Although a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was not on the agenda, the Greek and Turkish missions at the NATO Summit in Washington have been in constant contact so that it can take place on Wednesday.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected to meet Wednesday during the NATO 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC. The meeting between the two leaders is anticipated to be brief.
Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to look into Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s latest travels, his ties to Russia’s Putin and Turkey’s Erdogan, and whether this is cause for concern in Athens, Nicosia, Brussels and Washington.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to raise the issue of North Macedonia and the observance of the Prespa Agreement at the NATO Summit in Washington.
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