Ankara, July 8, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal and eleven other NATO countries on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to taking on “greater responsibility” for “maritime security” in the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the Arctic, pledging to strengthen their capabilities over the next decade.
According to a statement published on the Norwegian Government’s website, this “joint commitment”, made during the NATO summit in Ankara, includes Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
These countries have reaffirmed their commitment to assuming “greater maritime responsibility for deterrence and defence in the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean”.
“Our countries already possess modern maritime capabilities and platforms and have plans to significantly strengthen these capabilities over the next decade, positioning us as a collective force capable of conducting high-intensity maritime operations,” the statement reads.
This group of allies is committed to strengthening “training, exercises and operations across the full spectrum of maritime operations in the Euro-Atlantic region”.
The countries are also committed to “strengthening maritime command and control capabilities and prioritising investments” that enhance their “situational awareness across all domains”.
The group also commits to stepping up “its focus on innovation to develop relevant maritime capabilities and effects”.
According to the statement, the European allies and Canada “are willing and able to shoulder a fair share of the burden, whilst strengthening NATO’s unity and cohesion”.
“This commitment demonstrates a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO, with Europe and Canada taking on greater responsibility for our common Euro-Atlantic security, in close coordination with the United States.”
“In the face of an increasingly challenging security environment, this commitment demonstrates our willingness and ability to deter and defend ourselves against the long-term threat posed by Russia,” the text reads.
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