Moscow to react on the missile defence system based in Romania

NATO: No threat to Russia. PM Ponta: Romania cannot accept this kind of threats.

Moscow will react with “necessary steps” to construction of a new U.S. military base in Romania, Russian ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko has said. Implementation of the U.S. plan would undermine Russia`s security and force Moscow to undertake corresponding measures to tackle that threat, Xinhua quoted Grushko as saying Monday at a security conference in Moscow. “The US ignores the interests of regional security,” he said, without elaborating on the measures. Grushko also said the project of European integration has failed due to “highly dangerous” western policy of deepening divisions between Europe and Russia.

In retort, NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said missile shield facility in Romania is not threat to Russia. “The North Atlantic Alliance must protect itself, the same way Russia does. Despite all proofs, Russia refuse to acknowledge that NATO missile shield is contributing to reinforcement of the regional security and is replying to threats that are not related to Russia”, Vershbow said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.

PM Victor Ponta also took a stand in this dispute, saying Romania cannot accept this kind of threats, as it belongs to a transatlantic and European system of values that cannot close its eyes to what happened in Crimea and to the breaches of international law principles. Ponta posted on Facebook that our country dismisses any type of external pressure, adding threats to regional security are not helping at all to find solutions for a better cooperation.

A new American military base in Deveselu is due to run next year as a part of NATO`s overall ballistic missile defence system. Naval Support Facility Deveselu is expected to be fully operational in late 2015, with Capt. Bill Garren assuming duties as the first Commanding Officer. Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia presided over the base establishment and assumption of command ceremony at Naval Support Facility (NSF) Deveselu last Friday, Oct. 10.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, the land-based ballistic missile defense system in Romania will be almost identical to that used on Navy Aegis-capable guided-missile destroyers and cruisers. It’s designed to detect, track, engage and destroy ballistic missiles in flight. NSF Deveselu sits on about 430 acres. The site will consist of a fire-control radar deckhouse with an associated Aegis command, control and communications suite. Separately, it will house several launch modules containing SM-3 missiles and be staffed by about 200 U.S. military personnel, government civilians and support contractors.