Germany will step up and meet their NATO financial obligations. Last week, she said she wouldn't. Interesting.
Merkel said the government intends to stand by the Cardiff agreement from 2014 and gradually invest more resources in defense.
“The entire German government agreed to the Cardiff agreement,” Merkel said at a press conference Thursday following her meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Politico reports. “We will adhere to this, and we will work towards it.”
Stoltenberg said he felt “encouraged” to see countries end years of defense cuts, which would lead to meeting the 2 percent target “in the long run.”
“I am very encouraged seeing what European NATO members and Canada have done,” he said. “What we promised was to stop the cuts, gradually increase and then move toward 2 percent, and actually Germany and many of the European allies have started to do exactly that.”
Merkel said the government intends to stand by the Cardiff agreement from 2014 and gradually invest more resources in defense.
“The entire German government agreed to the Cardiff agreement,” Merkel said at a press conference Thursday following her meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Politico reports. “We will adhere to this, and we will work towards it.”
Stoltenberg said he felt “encouraged” to see countries end years of defense cuts, which would lead to meeting the 2 percent target “in the long run.”
“I am very encouraged seeing what European NATO members and Canada have done,” he said. “What we promised was to stop the cuts, gradually increase and then move toward 2 percent, and actually Germany and many of the European allies have started to do exactly that.”