Erdogan pledges higher military spending to strengthen NATO role

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Türkiye intends to increase its defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2030, accelerating its previously stated target by five years as Ankara seeks to strengthen its contribution to NATO's collective defence.

Speaking at the opening of the NATO summit's plenary session in Ankara, Erdogan said the government has already taken concrete steps toward raising military expenditure.

"Türkiye has taken steps to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2030. We have already reached the target of allocating 1.5% of GDP to security-related expenditures. We now aim to achieve the 5% target five years ahead of schedule," Erdogan said.

Türkiye had previously pledged to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 in line with NATO's long-term defence objectives.

Highlighting Ankara's growing role within the alliance, Erdogan said Türkiye has entered the top ten countries in terms of defence industry spending and continues to invest heavily in expanding its military capabilities.

"We have allocated an additional $24 billion for air and missile defence, where the alliance faces its most significant capability gap. As the country with the largest land army in NATO, we are committed to strengthening the alliance's military capabilities. We are among the leading contributors to NATO's operations and missions," the Turkish president said.

By Vafa Guliyeva