Romania is a very valuable ally and NATO is ready to defend Romania, said the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, in the joint press conference held on Wednesday after the meeting with the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciucă, who is visiting Brussels.
“Romania is a very valuable ally. And I greatly appreciate his important contributions to our common security at this crucial time,” Stoltenberg said.
“You are the host of one of the new NATO battle groups in the Black Sea region. Give an example regarding defense spending. And Romania hosts a key NATO site for defense against ballistic missiles. I also welcome the diplomatic efforts you are making to strengthen NATO, including by hosting a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest next month”, NATO Head also stated.
The two officials discussed Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine during the meeting. Stoltenberg told the joint press conference that Russian President Vladimir Putin is failing on the battlefield and is responding with more indiscriminate attacks on Ukrainian cities, against civilians and critical infrastructure, and with dangerous nuclear rhetoric.
“We also saw how Russia accused Ukraine of preparing to use a radiological “dirty bomb”. This is absurd. The Allies reject this patently false accusation. And Russia must not use false pretexts to further escalate the war,” warned Jens Stoltenberg, adding that NATO will not be intimidated or deterred from supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defense as long as necessary.
He also signaled that Ukrainian forces are getting stronger and better equipped every week, and at the same time, the Alliance continues to strengthen its own defenses.
“We are strengthening NATO’s presence from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. Canadian fighter jets help maintain the security of the region’s airspace, and thousands of French, Dutch, Belgian and American soldiers are in Romania to deter aggression. These developments send a clear message: NATO is ready to defend Romania. And all the other allies”, emphasized the head of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“I expressed concern for the wide-ranging effects that Russia’s aggressive and irresponsible behavior can generate in the long term for regional and Euro-Atlantic security, as well as for global stability.
Considering the high dynamics of these developments, as well as the unpredictability of Russia’s behavior, I emphasized the need for NATO to continue to carefully monitor the situation in the Black Sea. This war shows, unfortunately, what Romania has been supporting for a long time: the strategic relevance of the Black Sea for NATO, for the Alliance’s major security interests,” said in his turn PM Nicolae Ciuca.
The Romanian PM thanked France, the Netherlands and Belgium for their involvement and solidarity, and I also thank the United States for their presence in Romania.
“I emphasized the importance of continued support and assistance for Ukraine. I also reiterated the support for the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, assumed since 2008, at the Summit in Bucharest.I also emphasized that the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, our most vulnerable partners as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine, need our support. In this sense, I presented Romania’s decision to contribute financially to the NATO Voluntary Funds dedicated to these states, with 1,300,000 dollars (400,000 USD for Ukraine, 600,000 USD for the Republic of Moldova, 300,000 USD for Georgia). All these contributions represent a practical reflection of the special importance given by Romania, constantly, to NATO’s partnership policy.Romania remains fully committed to fulfilling all its obligations and we will continue to be a responsible and active contributor to the promotion of Euro-Atlantic security and stability,” Ciuca also stated.