(VOVWORLD) -NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that he expects allies to agree to an ambitious new Defense Investment Pledge, with 2% of GDP as a minimum to be invested in defense.
Stoltenberg told NATO foreign ministers in Brussels that in a contested and dangerous world, security cannot be taken for granted and he called on allies to invest more in defense.
At the 2014 summit in Wales, NATO leaders agreed to move towards the goal of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense within a decade. A formal decision will be made at the NATO summit to be held in Lithuania in July.
On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he has discussed with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Sweden's NATO application and developments related to Ankara's purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the US. According to Cavusoglu, Sweden needs to take the next steps for Turkey to accept it as a NATO member.