Sutaj Estok Disagrees with Defence Spending Hike at Expense of Living Standard

Bratislava, 24 June (TASR) - I understand the need to increase investment in defence, Interior Minister and chairman of the coalition Voice-SD party Matus Sutaj Estok posted on a social network on Tuesday, adding that given the security situation in the world, this is a justified demand. However, he doesn't agree that defence spending should be increased at the expense of people's standard of living. He stressed that he's therefore advocating dual spending. Sutaj Estok sees the demand to increase the defence spending of NATO member states to 5 percent of GDP as extreme and hardly sustainable for many countries in reality. "No, security isn't for free - but every penny must be invested wisely. That's why I'm advocating dual spending - that is, investment in defence that makes sense even in peacetime. Instead of more weapons, we want technologies that can be used in civil protection, modernisation of critical infrastructure, cyber security, logistics, health care or energy resilience. Defence should protect people - not burden them. If we are to deliver on our commitments, it must be in a way that also brings real benefits to civil society," he stated. The minister stressed that NATO is and must remain the guarantor of the collective security of its member states and shouldn't serve as an instrument of confrontation or an alibi for uncontrolled armaments. The 34th North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Summit opens on Tuesday in The Hague, the Netherlands. Leaders are expected to formally endorse a commitment to significantly increase investment in their defence spending to up to 5 percent of GDP a year. am