NATO ministers to address deterrence, defense posture

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - NATO defense ministers will discuss deterrence and defense posture, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday.

"Today we will address NATO’s deterrence and defense posture. Ensuring it remains fit for the future. To do so, we need to keep investing in defense.

"Allies have already delivered five consecutive years of real growth in defense budgets. This will be an additional $100 billion of national defense spending by the end of next year. But we need to keep up our efforts," Stoltenberg said ahead of second day of NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels.

Stoltenberg said the ministers will also discuss the steps to improve the readiness of the forces including the NATO Readiness Initiative.

"We will also assess other ways enhancing our deterrence and defense, including improving our cyber defenses, and strengthening our maritime posture," he added.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar is expected to have bilateral talks with his counterparts.