ISTANBUL, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The NATO parliamentary summit opened in Istanbul on Monday, with alliance officials calling for stronger defense investment ahead of next week's NATO leaders' summit in Ankara.
The two-day summit brought together parliamentary speakers and delegation heads from NATO's 32 member states to discuss security issues.
Opening the meeting, NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Marcos Perestrello stressed the critical role of national parliaments in supporting defense investment and implementing the alliance's security priorities.
Perestrello urged allies to pursue "smarter, faster, and coordinated investments," noting that building a stronger NATO requires more than higher spending.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska stated that the upcoming NATO heads of state and government summit, scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara, will serve as a platform to demonstrate the alliance's collective "defense readiness and resolve."
"We expect all allies to come to Ankara with concrete plans to reach the 5 percent defense spending target by 2035," Shekerinska noted.
Addressing the opening session, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus stressed that there could be no world peace without peace in the Middle East and called on NATO members to support efforts to restore stability in the region.
Kurtulmus urged an immediate end to Israel's military operations in Gaza, which he described as having reached the level of "genocide," adding that a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue is essential for lasting peace.
He also welcomed recent positive developments aimed at ending tensions between the United States and Iran, expressing hope for the establishment of permanent peace, which he said is of vital importance for global security. ■
