Netherlands allocates €8 mln to boosting defence capabilities of Georgia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Wopke Hoekstra, the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, on Tuesday announced his Government would allocate €8 million to further strengthen defence capabilities of Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

At the NATO Summit in Vilnius, the official stressed it was “crucial” for the alliance to strengthen its security cooperation with partners in Eastern Europe amid Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. 

Hoekstra noted the funds, to be used through the bloc’s Defence and Related Security Capacity Building fund, could be utilised to provide the three states with anti-drone systems, bolster their cybersecurity and guarantee safe storage of arms.

Launched in 2014, the fund “reinforces and exceeds what is offered through other existing programmes” of the alliance for its partner states, NATO has said.