NATO leaders to sign defence industry memorandum in Türkiye

NATO leaders are expected to sign a memorandum on the alliance's defence industrial ecosystem and reaffirm their commitment to raising defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 at the alliance's summit in Ankara on July 7–8, Hürriyet reports.

According to the report, the commitments will be reflected in the summit's final communiqué.

It said NATO members will also reaffirm their commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, under which an attack on one or more alliance members is considered an attack on all.

The communiqué is also expected to outline key threats facing NATO, reaffirm support for Ukraine and endorse continued financial assistance for Kyiv.

The report noted that three events are scheduled for the summit's opening day, including a NATO–Ukraine Council working dinner involving foreign ministers.

NATO defence ministers are also due to meet representatives from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will host an official reception for NATO leaders attending the summit.

Leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, senior European Union officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have also been invited.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov