The meeting with Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş on Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Romania for its contributions to Allied security. Stoltenberg called Romania “a highly valued member of our Alliance,” Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that NATO “counts on Romania, and Romania can count on NATO.”
On the other hand, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has recommended the Romanian government to increase budget defence expenditures as the alliance should respond to growing demand for security and defence, adding that the Alliance is counting on Romania and Romania can count on it.
Stoltenberg said he recommends the Government to increase the budget spending for defence, so to continue last year’s growth for years to come. The measure is particularly important since the challenges of defence should be responded in a world in change. Stoltenberg said all NATO member countries increase their responsiveness troops and strengthen the presence in the eastern part of the alliance, presence that will become increasingly stronger as preparing is made for the summit in Warsaw.
He commended Romania for its participation in NATO-led missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo, its contributions to Black Sea security, and its strong political support for NATO’s partners Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia. He also thanked Romania for hosting important NATO assets, including the Multinational Division South East, a NATO Force Integration Unit in Bucharest, and an important part of NATO’s missile defence system in Deveselu. Mr. Stoltenberg also welcomed Romania’s commitment to raise defence spending to 2% of GDP, in line with NATO guidelines.
In their talks, Prime Minister Cioloş and the Secretary General addressed key issues on NATO’s agenda ahead of the Warsaw Summit, as well as NATO’s response to the biggest security challenges in a generation. “A strong NATO is the best guarantee for security in Europe,” the Secretary General said.