NATO ministers to prepare for upcoming leaders’ summit

NATO ministers will focus on the preparations of the upcoming NATO leaders' summit at their meeting on Tuesday, the secretary-general of the military alliance said on Monday.

NATO ministers will discuss the strategy for the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the recent developments in Belarus, but they will prioritize the preparations of the NATO leaders' summit, Jens Stoltenberg told journalists ahead of NATO foreign and defense ministers' meeting on Tuesday.

NATO heads of states and governments are expected to adopt the NATO 2030 agenda during their gathering in Brussels on June 14.

"We still have some work to do, but we all agree that we must take ambitious and forward-looking decisions," Stoltenberg explained.

According to the NATO chief, the military alliance has to strengthen its unity "in this more competitive and unpredictable world" by consulting more and reinforcing commitment towards collective defense.

The NATO 2030 strategy will extend the concept of security by tackling challenges of climate change and focusing on resilience and technological development.

The military alliance also seeks to play "a greater role in safeguarding the international rule-based order to defend our values and interest," Stoltenberg said, envisaging new partnerships, more capacity and training missions around the world.

He praised the allies' efforts in increasing military spending over the past seven years and stressed the importance of boosting defense budget.