NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated on Wednesday (April 22) that NATO is facing multiple threats from China, Russia, Iran, and is ready to address these threats. Rutte made the remarks to the media after visiting the Turkish defense company Aselsan. He emphasized that NATO is currently facing significant threats on multiple fronts.
“We are facing great threats, from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, from outer space to the seabed, from missiles and drones to complex cyber attacks,” Rutte said, highlighting the threats posed by China, Russia, and Iran.
“The war in Ukraine by Russia continues; China (CCP) is also actively pursuing military modernization and nuclear expansion. Iran is spreading terror and chaos,” he said. “In Turkey, you feel this particularly deeply. In recent weeks, NATO has successfully intercepted ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards Turkey in four separate incidents. NATO is prepared to address such threats and will always take all necessary measures to defend Turkey and all its allies.”
“Companies like Aselsan are combining production and innovation, which is a top priority for NATO. This will also be a key issue at the NATO Summit in Ankara in July,” Rutte said. “Of course, we will celebrate the ability to collectively increase defense spending, but defense production is also crucial because we must do better and do more. We can learn a lot from the work Turkey is doing here.”
On Tuesday (April 21), NATO criticized Russia and China’s nuclear policies, stating that Russia “violates critical arms control commitments,” while China continues to rapidly expand and diversify its nuclear arsenal without transparency. NATO called for cooperation between China, Russia, and the United States.
Turkey is a NATO member. Rutte met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday as part of his visit to Turkey. The day before, Rutte met with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler. The Turkish Ministry of Defense said that Rutte and Guler discussed a range of issues including strengthening alliance relations, increasing defense spending, integrating Turkish air defense systems with NATO systems, and further enhancing defense industrial cooperation among allies.