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Former commander of the Albanian Navy, Artur Meçollari, stated that the NATO Summit, which will take place on July 7-8 in Ankara, is expected to be one of the most important meetings of the alliance, with the role of the United States, increased defense spending and support for Ukraine at the center of discussions.
Meçollari stated that the presence of US President Donald Trump is expected to have a significant impact on the summit discussions, bringing back attention to the demand that European countries take more responsibility for the defense of the alliance.
According to him, the summit will be characterized by three main issues: the role of the US in NATO, the so-called "NATO 3.0" concept, which is related to the increase in the contribution of European countries to defense, as well as the continuation of financial and military support for Ukraine.
"We are waiting for an important summit where Albania also has an important role. The most important feature is the presence of President Trump, who has significantly influenced developments within NATO. Another element is the assumption of more responsibilities by European countries for the defense and architecture of the alliance from the point of view of budgets. Also, the focus will be on Ukraine and Russia, where further financial support for Kiev is expected to be discussed," Meçollari said for the "Review" show.
Commenting on Albania's position, the former Navy commander said that the country has not reached NATO's target of spending 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defense, despite this level being planned in the budget.
According to him, at the end of 2025, real defense spending resulted in 1.75% of GDP, as about 75 million euros planned were not spent and returned to the Ministry of Finance.
"We planned 2.01% at the beginning of the year, but at the end of the year the real spending was 1.75%. This means that Albania has not met NATO's defense spending target," Meçollari declared.
He added that one of the topics expected to be raised at the summit is related to the US administration's demands on European allies to increase their contribution to collective security, including engagement in recent developments in the Middle East and increasing defense budgets.
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