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Baltic States Pledge to Spend Two Percent of GDP on Defense by 2018

Sputnik News

23:54 14.12.2016(updated 04:17 15.12.2016)

The defense budgets of all three Baltic states will reach 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2018 in accordance with NATO demands, with Latvia and Lithuania pledging to increase the defense spending, Estonia's Defense Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Wednesday.

TALLINN (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in Tallinn to discuss the priorities of cooperation in defense and security sphere, cooperation with the United States, relations with Russia, as well as implementation of the decisions taken at the latest NATO summit in Warsaw.

"The Estonian defense spending will reach 2.2 percent next year, while there is also another plan on the defense investments which is already approved by the government. Following the same example, Latvia and Lithuania will increase defense spending, which will reach 2 percent of GDP by 2018, and this is of course a very important signal," Tsahkna said during a TV show broadcast by the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR).

So far only five NATO member-states are meeting the alliance's goal of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense – the United States, Great Britain, Greece, Estonia and Poland.

© Sputnik