DefMin Mosteanu: There is Russian propaganda narratives denigrating the image of the Romanian Army

Romania's Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu, said on Friday in Prahova that the Romanian Army is doing exercises, people are equipped, they receive equipment and everything they need, but there are certain Russian propaganda narratives that want to denigrate the image of the army."There is Russian propaganda that pushes certain narratives and that want to denigrate the Romanian Army and the image of the Romanian Army. The Romanian Army is doing exercises, as you can see here today it was done everywhere, the people are equipped, (...), the people are equipped, they receive boots, equipment and everything they need," Mosteanu told a news briefing at the Coada Izvorului firing range.Referring to the MOBEX B-IF-25 mobilisation exercise, he said that it is an exercise that takes place annually and in which several bodies are involved, addingthat those queues that were talked about in the public space were not at the Ministry of Defence (MApN)."This exercise took place all week in seven firing ranges around Bucharest. It is an exercise that happens regularly, every year. Last year it was in several counties, it was in Vrancea, Buzau, Calarasi and Ialomita and several other counties. This year it was in Teleorman, Giurgiu, Olt, Sibiu, Mures, now it is in Bucharest and Ilfov. These MOBEX exercises will take place next year in seven, eight, nine other counties. It is a regular exercise, and what happens it is absolutely normal . We have been communicating, for about two months I have been talking about this exercise. (...) There is a lot of attention on everything that means the army, taking into account that we have this war on the border (...). It is an exercise in which the Army has the coordinating attributions, the Ministry of Defence, and all the state bodies that have defence, public order and security attributions are involved. We are talking about the Ministry of the Interior, the General emergency Management Inspectorate (IGSU), the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), we are talking about penitentiaries and, if you have seen some differences this week in the way of processing, in the way of carrying out this programme on the days when the reservists come, it is because each of these bodies with specific attributions both in peacetime and in time of mobilisation have specific objectives. The Ministry of Defence chose to carry out the training, the sorting inside the barracks. (...) There were other queues, none of them were at the Ministry of Defence. All the triage, all the training in the MApN institutions were done in units and this is another thing that we will better prepare for the future," said Mosteanu.According to him, the exercise refers to the soldiers in reserve and is meant to familiarise them again with the operations."This exercise refers to the soldiers in reserve, there are people who served in the army, who served in the army professionally and are in reserve. (...) This is not their first contact with the army. It is an exercise meant to see the state of the reserve, to refamiliarise them with the operations, with the new equipment, with all the specific operations. It is a very correct thing and it must happen and it happens in all the armies of the world."He added that there is an article in the NATO Treaty that stipulates that all countries must prepare in the event of a conflict."This exercise is part of the MApN budget, we have an agreement with our partners, with NATO allies. There is an article in the NATO Treaty, 3, which says that all countries must prepare to be well prepared in the event of a conflict, and Article 5 says that if there is a conflict in a NATO country, then NATO also jumps to defend that country. Under this agreement, we spend, for example, this year, 2.27% was from the budget at the beginning of the year, we will see the execution at the end of the year it could be, depending on how much the nominal GDP will be in the end, we could reach 2.29%, maybe 2.30%. Also, NATO countries agreed in The Hague, at the end of June, that they will increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. That is why, when we talk about defence, we cannot talk about defence and training the army without expenses."The MApN official also added that the Defence General Staff will make an analysis of this exercise next week, and on Wednesday it will come out with a detailed presentation.