NATO

NATO's 30 member states signed accession protocols for Sweden and Finland in early July, starting the process to admit the two Nordic countries into the military alliance, Xinhua news agency reported. The next step is for the parliaments of all NATO members to ratify their accession to NATO. Finland and Sweden's NATO bid was initially blocked by Turkey, which accused them of "supporting" anti-Turkish terrorist groups.

According to the ministry, the associate membership in the MIP gives Ukraine a right to join the development and introduction of key NATO standards related to the interaction of combat control systems and related practices, Xinhua news agency reported. The MIP is a program of technological cooperation between the Armed Forces of NATO member states, which was established at the level of national developers of combat control information systems and aims to achieve interoperability of national C2IS systems.

"Today we have renewed some requests that were rejected before and reminded them of some requests that were not responded to," Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said in a televised interview on Haber Global broadcaster. Bozdag said the two countries previously did not respond to any of Turkey's extradition requests for "terror suspects" although they were in line with both the international and bilateral agreements.

Twenty-two NATO members on Thursday agreed to launch the NATO Innovation Fund, a multi-sovereign venture capital fund that will invest 1 billion euros ($1.05 billion) in startups and other venture capital funds developing emerging technologies for both civilian and military use. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the fund's signing ceremony that it would help transform NATO's security environment and strengthen its innovation ecosystem, Xinhua news agency reported.

NATO's new 10-year strategic blueprint, agreed to by leaders at a summit in Spain on Thursday morning (AEST), called out the rising Asian power for conducting "malicious" cyber operations, for its strategic partnership with Russia, rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal and its efforts to dominate key supply chains, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

In his speech, Zelensky on Wednesday said that Ukraine needs modern missile and air defence systems to protect its cities, and artillery to stand against Russia on the battlefields, Xinhua news agency reported. Financial support for Ukraine is no less important than aid with weapons, he said, adding that his country needs nearly $5 billion per month for defence and protection.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that the leaders had decided to "transform and strengthen" the alliance at a "pivotal time for our security". The decisions include strengthening NATO's forward defenses, enhancing the bloc's battlegroups on its eastern flank, and increasing the number of high readiness forces to more than 300,000, the NATO chief said.

"The Ukraine crisis has once again sounded the alarm for the world, security is indivisible. A blind faith in the position of strength, the expansion of military alliance, and the pursuit of one's own security at the expense of the security of other countries will inevitably lead to security dilemma," Xinhua news agency reported quoting Zhang. Zhang noted that NATO's five eastward expansions after the Cold War have not only failed to make Europe securer, but also sowed the seed of conflict, a lesson worth reflecting on.

Han made the remarks during a dinner meeting with reporters Tuesday as Yoon was in Madrid to attend the NATO summit, Yonhap news agency reported. South Korea is not a member of NATO but was invited to the summit along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand as the organisation's Asia-Pacific partners.

After an extended meeting among leaders from the three countries together with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday afternoon, a trilateral memorandum addressing Turkey's security concerns was agreed and signed, paving the way for the two Nordic states' NATO membership applications, Xinhua news agency reported. "This will strengthen NATO, and it will also strengthen Sweden and Finland", said Stoltenberg, adding that now is the time for the 30 different parliaments to make a decision