A look at the Defence news 8 - 14 January
"Coups in the Sahel, the ruthless destruction that Russia is wreaking in Ukraine, rising tensions in the South China Sea.” Outgoing Netherlands Minister of Defence, Kajsa Ollongren delivered a sober message to her department in The Hague in her New Year address on 11 January.
The minister summed up why 2023 marked a turning point, as this was the year in which the full extent of the geopolitical challenge facing the Defence organisation became clear.
The minister also said that a new government should respect the commitments made at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, meaning that the Netherlands will have to allocate at least 2% of its GDP to the Defence organisation over the next years.
Netherlands contributes € 3 million to anti-terrorism academy in Ivory Coast
The Netherlands is to increase its contribution to the international anti-terrorism academy in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) by € 3 million for the next 3 years, in order to support the fight against terrorism in West Africa. Netherlands Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren announced this during a visit to the country last week.