President: No Need to Hold NATO Summits Every Year, Rutte Functions with Trump

Ankara/Bratislava, 8 July (TASR-correspondent) - NATO summits do not have to be held every year and could instead be organised once every two years, President Peter Pellegrini told reporters after a summit in Ankara, Turkey.

TASR learnt the news from its special correspondent covering the event.

Pellegrini declared that the Alliance is able to function effectively with US President Donald Trump thanks to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

At the summit, Trump once again mentioned Greenland and the United States' ambition to acquire the island. Pellegrini highlighted Rutte's role in handling the issue.

"There is even discussion behind the scenes about the possible expansion of US military bases in the territory without any need to change the country's status. From this perspective, I believe the Alliance, under the leadership of the NATO Secretary General, who has good and constructive relations with President Trump and, above all, knows how to communicate with him, will maintain its pace and the momentum of its unity," Pellegrini said.

The summit's final conclusions ultimately omitted any reference to a next year's summit of NATO leaders in Tirana, Albania. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that NATO was considering skipping next year's summit. Albania is among the Alliance's lowest defence spenders.

Pellegrini said that an annual interval was too short to properly assess NATO's actual achievements. He also pointed to the costs and scale involved in organising a summit.

"If nothing extraordinary happens, a two-year interval might be more appropriate. However, no such decision has yet been taken. We'll see what the coming months bring," he added.