NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska completed a two-day visit to Portugal focused on defence investment, industrial production, innovation and Allied cooperation. During meetings in Porto, Lisbon and other locations, she highlighted Portugal’s strategic role within NATO and thanked the country for its contributions to Alliance missions and its support for Ukraine.
Shekerinska linked the current security environment to the need for faster defence investment and greater industrial capacity. She referred to the 5 percent of GDP defence and security-related investment target agreed by Allies at the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague and argued that national commitments must be translated into equipment, production and operational capability.
In Porto, she participated in a diplomatic seminar on changing security and defence priorities alongside Portuguese Defence Minister Nuno Melo and European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius. She also stressed the importance of NATO-EU cooperation in areas such as production and innovation.
The Deputy Secretary General visited STRIKFORNATO, the NATO Communications and Information Academy and the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre. She also met senior Portuguese political leaders and members of parliament, using the visit to discuss preparations for NATO’s 2026 Ankara Summit.