NATO Releases Final Declaration of London Summit

* Photo: Aytaç Ünal / AA - London

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

In the wake of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Leaders Summit held in the UK on December 3-4, the final declaration of the summit, the London Declaration, was released today (December 4).

Putting an emphasis on unity, the declaration issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the summit has underlined that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations remains a persistent threat to us all."

Holding a press conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that there have been differences of opinion since the organization was established and added, "World is changing, so will the NATO."

Before the summit started, President of France Emmanuel Macron referred to NATO as "brain dead", which caused controversy during the summit.

* Photo: Peter Nicholls/Pool - AA/EPA

'Russia's actions constitute a threat'

The third article of the London declaration has also addressed Russia:

"We, as an Alliance, are facing distinct threats and challenges emanating from all strategic directions. Russia's aggressive actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security; terrorism in all its forms and manifestations remains a persistent threat to us all.

"State and non-state actors challenge the rules-based international order. Instability beyond our borders is also contributing to irregular migration. We face cyber and hybrid threats."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, on the other hand, has stated, "It has been agreed that communication channels to Russia will remain open. We have decided to continue with our effective disarmament efforts."

NATO's defense budget will be increased

The London Declaration has also indicated, "We recognise that China's growing influence and international policies present both opportunities and challenges that we need to address together as an Alliance."

"Non-US defence expenditure has grown for five consecutive years; over 130 billion US dollars more is being invested in defence."

US President Donald Trump has long been criticizing European countries, especially Germany, regarding the budget of the organization.

While the US meets 22 percent of the NATO's central budget, the US and Germany are expected to cover 16 percent as of 2021.

Kremlin: NATO's spending plans confirm our fears

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also made a statement about the defense budget plans of the NATO earlier today.

As reported by Reuters, Peskov said that NATO's plans to increase its defense spending showed Moscow was right to be concerned over "the military alliance's eastward expansion and policy of trying to contain Russia."

'We agree to ensure security of communication'

Stoltenberg has also stated, "Today, leaders committed to ensuring the security of our telecommunications infrastructure - including 5G. We agreed to rely only on secure and resilient systems. Allies further recognised the unprecedented progress we are making to achieve fairer burden-sharing.

"In fact, European Allies and Canada have added 130 billion US dollars. And by the end of 2024, that figure will rise to 400 billion US dollars.

"Leaders also took a range of other decisions on other important issues for our Alliance; to enhance the protection of our energy infrastructure, on how to ensure our technological edge in the face of emerging and disruptive technologies and to step up our response to hybrid threats."

Meeting on Syria before the summit

Before the summit began on December 3, a joint meeting on Syria was held by the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Turkey.

While Turkey was represented in the meeting by President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it was reported that in addition to Syria, the developments in the region, especially in Libya, were discussed by the leaders.

* Click here for the full text of London Declaration

(PT/SD)