Spanish government maintains military spending on 2.1% of the COBS after the end of the summit while the awake to other alliance member countries is 5%
Spain was the target of criticism from the president of the United States, Donald Trumpduring a press conference at the Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATAN) for not “fulfilling the commitment” agreed by all the member countries of the alliance to raise 5% of GDP defense spending. “Terrible what Spain did,” said the Republican on Wednesday (25). Trump emphasized that Madrid was the only member of the covenant to “breach” the pact, and indicated that he intends to impose economic costs on Spain during the bilateral negotiations of his tariff policy. The Spanish government, in fact, agreed to agree with NATO to be excluded from the need to meet the new goal.
“They will pay twice as much in a trade agreement with us. I’m serious. The Spaniards will pay back to us in commercial negotiations,” Trump promised. “I make a point of negotiating directly with Spain. Spain will pay,” Trump added, raising criticism.
Sánchez’s answer
The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchezhe confirmed that his country will not spend more than 2.1% of his GDP in defense, after the endorsement he considers to have been given by the NATO dome, a percentage that, according to him, will make it possible to fulfill all commitments to alliance capabilities. Sánchez, at the news conference he gave at the end of the summit, said this was a success for Spain, NATO, for the safety of all and the welfare state.
All allies supported a final statement in which they express their “unshakable commitment to collective defense” and the objective of achieving a 5% investment of their GDP in defense, but in terms that, according to the Spanish government, allow ambiguity and that there is no obligation to achieve this percentage. This is what Sánchez repeated, as he had already done last Sunday in his statement after the agreement with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who said he gave Spain flexibility so as not to increase his military spending.
A 2.1% expense that said will be sufficient and sustained in the coming years, according to the agent, and that this figure was not chosen by him, but rather to which defense technicians advise to comply with the commitments with NATO. Sánchez thanked all allies to Spain’s sovereignty to decide his expense and ensured that the country, in addition to complying with the agreed capacities, will remain a key piece in European security architecture.
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The head of the government also took advantage of the press conference to respond to criticism of US President Donald Trump, in which he accused Spain of being a problem for NATO, ensuring that “Spain is always the solution, never the problem.” Faced with these accusations, Sánchez reiterated that Spain has convinced his positions in the summit with conviction and will not exceed 2.1% of GDP in his spending in defense, against the pressures to reach 5%, something he believes was accepted if the country had another president in the government. Sánchez also revealed that he had no opportunity to talk to the US president and not even to greet him, which attributed to something “casual”.
*With information from Estadão Content and EFE
Posted by Fernando Dias
Source: Jovempan
I have been working as a journalist for over 10 years. In that time, I have covered the news from all corners of the world, and written about everything from politics to business.I’m now a full-time author, and my work can be found at Global happenings. My aim is to bring you up-to-date news and views on global affairs, in a format that is easy to read and understand.
