Germany not to raise defense budget to 2 pct of GDP: FM

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Wednesday said it would be unrealistic for his country to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP in the following decade.

After a meeting with Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser here, Gabriel indicated the NATO spending target would cost the country 30 billion euros (31.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the next eight years, which would make up 10 percent of the federal budget.

Instead, Germany is concentrating its peace efforts on providing asylum and other assistance to hundreds of thousands of refugees. "Germany is spending more than 30 million euros annually on this purpose," Gabriel said.

The leaders also focused on bilateral relations, Estonia's upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU, the bloc's future and the situation in Ukraine.

Both Gabriel and Mikser reaffirmed their countries' commitment to regional security and stressed the necessity to maintain Europe's unity and resolve. "A strong EU is in our interests and this is what partners expect from us too," said Mikser.

Meeting Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas, both leaders agreed on the need to ensure Europe's connectivity on various levels, including energy, transport and digital networks. Endit