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Stories related to defence, strategy and cooperation. 

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NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

The Nato Summit held in The Hague on 24-25 June was a failure, wrapped in success. It was a success because it avoided public display of divisions, mainly by avoiding issues: it was the shortest summit anyone can remember; it also had a very short final statement that basically had two points, the first a re-commitment to article 5 of the North Atlantic Charter and the principle that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all. The fact that Nato leaders in the Hague had felt the need to re-emphasise this should be a cause of worry not celebration, but in the end, it is good that it was said. The second outcome, the one that received most attention, was the commitment of European countries to spend more on their defence: 5 per cent of GDP, of which 3.5 per cent on hard defence, and 1.5 per cent on related ancillary areas such as infrastructure. You may, if you want, believe that this was a response to US President Donald Trump's insistence. Or, if you are more prudent, understand that countries that matter – Germany, France, Poland and the Scandinavian countries had decided on this course of action quite separately, and as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was a wake-up call. Finland and Sweden’s decision to abandon their neutrality, and join NATO was taken long before Trump returned to the White House. The EU’s decision to spend massively on defence was always to ensure that other European countries are part of this process, willy-nilly.
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Several countries bordering Russia will leave the Ottawa Convention which bans land mines

Several countries bordering Russia will leave the Ottawa Convention which bans land mines

Several countries that border Russia intend to leave the Ottawa Convention which bans anti personnel land mines. They include EU member states Finland, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as Ukraine. Russia has not signed the Ottawa treaty and continues to stockpile and use landmines. Ukraine is withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling and production of anti-personnel mines, according to Roman Kostenko, People's Deputy of the Golos party and Secretary of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine . He said this is a step that the realities of war have long required. "Russia is not a party to this convention and is massively using mines against our military and civilians. We cannot remain constrained in conditions where the enemy has no restrictions," the MP noted.

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Editor's choice
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Pashinyan calls on his country's military to be optimistic about Armenia's future security environment

Pashinyan calls on his country's military to be optimistic about Armenia's future security environment

Pashinyan has faced demands for his resignation following the  autumn  military defeat, and there were even calls for the army to take over,  but the command of the Armenian armed forces insisted it was not going to get embroiled in politics and will support the constitutional order.
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The East is hot!

The East is hot!

A tense situation is developing in and around the South China Sea as China continues to flex its muscles through the projection of military power, provoking a response from both the United States, as well as other countries in the region. China is likely to try to test early the resolve of the incoming Biden administration to protect allies in the region.
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The entire Russian Black Sea Fleet starts drills

The entire Russian Black Sea Fleet starts drills

Earlier this week NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg criticised Russia for violating the territorial integrity of Georgia and Ukraine and said NATO was responding by building up its own deterrence posture whilst continuing to seek dialogue with Russia.
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UAE celebrates 49th anniversary with a satellite launch into space

UAE celebrates 49th anniversary with a satellite launch into space

Established on 2 December 1971, the United Arab Emirates is considered one of the world's most successful countries. Coinciding with the anniversary, a Falcon Eye 2 satellite of the United Arab Emirates, using a Russian Soyuz-ST-A rocket, lifted off from the Kourou space center in French Guiana on Wednesday, according to a live broadcast by Arianespace.