An informal gathering of NATO abroad Ministers will be held in Turkey

On Wednesday, a two-day informal gathering of NATO abroad ministers will begin in the Turkish state of Antalya.

A gathering of NATO abroad ministers will take place in Belek on 14-15 May, the organizers have previously informed.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrived in Turkey on Tuesday and had already held meetings with president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and with Turkish abroad Minister Hakan Fidan in Antalya. In particular, Erdogan told Rutte that Turkey had increased efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, in his opinion the Alliance should not be part of this conflict.

The main agenda of the gathering is scheduled for Thursday, after the ministerial meeting, a press conference is scheduled for the Secretary-General of NATO and Turkish abroad Minister Fidan.
The gathering in Antalya was announced in mid-April, but will now be held simultaneously with talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on 15 May.

It is expected that preparations for the June NATO summit will be the main subject of the ministerial gathering and discussion on increased defence spending by the members of the alliance, but the Ukrainian issue will not be left out by the ministers either.

The origin in the Turkish MFA told the RIA that Fidan would item Turkey's function in NATO and its desire to further contribute to the safety of the alliance during the meeting.

"Minister will recognise the request to affect non-EU allies specified as Turkey in the defence efforts of the alliance... Fidan will declare that Turkey, which already spends more than 2% of GDP on defence, is committed to expanding its investment in defence," the origin said.

In addition, the Minister will talk about the importance of a "360-degree" approach to safety and the request to end the Ukrainian conflict, said the source.
The North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) refused the information agency RIA Novosti accreditation to meet abroad ministers.

US president Donald Trump repeatedly criticized Europe for its low contribution to NATO's defence capabilities and demanded that all associate States increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth assured that the United States is not yet planning to reduce its military presence in Europe.

On 19 March, the European Commission presented a fresh defence strategy "Re-arming Europe". Later, the name of the paper was changed to a little aggressive "Readiness 2030" due to the protest of many EU countries. The "Readiness 2030" strategy envisages raising around €800 billion over 4 years. Most of the funds are to come from the budgets of European countries (approximately 650 billion), another 150 billion will be utilized in the form of loans, while the European Commission will guarantee budgetary loosening for EU countries, and will besides channel funds for regional improvement into military spending. In addition, "Readiness 2030" foresees an increase in European Union defence spending of 1.5% of GDP.