Brussels, 24 June 2025 (MIA) - President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova is participating in the NATO Summit in the Hague on Tuesday and Wednesday. The summit will focus on increased defence spending, reinforcing collective defence, and developments in Ukraine and the Middle East.  

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, on Monday outlined his expectations for the NATO Summit in The Hague, noting that the summit is taking place at a truly historic moment, with significant and growing challenges to our security, and as the world becomes more dangerous, Allied leaders will take bold decisions to strengthen collective defence, making NATO a stronger, a fairer and a more lethal Alliance.

According to Rutte, Allies are to approve a major new defence investment plan, raising the benchmark for defence investment to 5% of GDP.

"This will be agreed together with a concerted effort to ramp up defence industry across NATO, increasing security and creating jobs," said Rutte. 

"The threats we face today demand that we do far, far more to ensure we can effectively deter and defend. NATO has detailed defence plans in place. We know how to tackle the dangers that confront us. And we are committed to defending every inch of Allied territory, should any potential adversary make the mistake of attacking any Ally," Rutte pointed out.

The plan includes, among other, a five-fold increase in air defence capabilities, thousands more tanks and armoured vehicles, millions of rounds of artillery ammunition, as well as working together with close partners, including Ukraine, the European Union and partners from the Indo-Pacific.

"By investing more and producing more, we build a stronger NATO. The result is also a fairer NATO, as Allies step up to ensure there is more equal sharing of responsibility for our shared security," Rutte added. 

During the summit in The Hague, NATO and the Government of the Netherlands will host the NATO Public Forum together with the Atlantic Commission of the Netherlands, the Clingendael Institute and The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. The Public Forum aims to promote a better public understanding of NATO’s policies and goals, and the decisions that will be adopted at the NATO Summit through dialogue and engagement with a diverse group of stakeholders. Heads of State and Government, Ministers, international security experts, opinion formers, academics, journalists and young people will come together in a series of panel discussions, debates and interactive sessions about various topics on the summit agenda.

A Plenary session of the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum is also scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, with opening remarks by Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans.  

The summit begins with a dinner hosted by the Dutch king, Willem-Alexander, on Tuesday evening, to be followed by a single working meeting on Wednesday morning with press conferences.  

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski is also participating in the NATO Summit in The Hague on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the state delegation headed by President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a press release. 

On the first day of the Summit, Minister Mucunski will participate in a NATO-Ukraine Council working dinner alongside foreign ministers from other member states, as well as Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President, Kaja Kallas.

On the second day, at the invitation of the NATO Secretary General, Minister Mucunski will participate in a panel discussion on leadership and the role of youth in addressing contemporary security risks, as well as the commitment to an inclusive and sustainable security policy.

During the same evening, Minister Mucunski, as part of the state delegation, will also participate in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state and government, during which decisions and guidelines will be adopted regarding the Alliance’s actions in the current security context.

Following the conclusion of the formal part of the Summit, at the invitation and organized by the Atlantic Forum, Minister Mucunski will participate in an event dedicated to the key decisions from the Summit in The Hague, focusing on the equal distribution of responsibilities among allies, strengthening industrial production in defence, and digital innovations in support of NATO's defence capabilities 

Photo: MIA archive/NATO