politics
Netherlands to Announce Over €3 Billion in New NATO Defence Deals and Partnerships
Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz said the Netherlands will unveil more than €3 billion in defence deals and plans at a NATO forum in Ankara on July 7. The announcements include partnerships with Belgium and Britain ahead of a leaders summit.
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The Netherlands will announce defence deals and plans worth more than €3 billion at a NATO forum in Ankara on Tuesday, July 7, Al-Monitor reported. Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz said the package includes partnerships with Belgium on air defence and with Britain on naval ships, plus efforts to expand joint projects with Germany. Yesilgoz spoke in an interview in Ankara on Monday.
She described the announcements as concrete plans rather than pledges. "For the Netherlands, it will be ... well over 3 billion euros that we will have new — not only pledges, but concrete plans," she said.
The forum precedes a summit of NATO political leaders that begins Tuesday evening with a dinner. U.S. President Donald Trump will join the leaders of the alliance's 31 other members. The summit continues Wednesday with a meeting of the North Atlantic Council.
Yesilgoz said the announcements form part of broader proclamations by NATO members intended to demonstrate increased defence spending. She added that it was healthy for Europe to invest more in its own defence and defence industries regardless of who occupies the White House. Asked about U.S.
Engagement in NATO, Yesilgoz said she had to remain confident. "I have to be confident, because I know that we need each other," she said.
