Iohannis: Romania supports adoption of a new NATO-EU joint declaration as soon as possible

NATO summit in Madrid on Thursday, President Klaus Iohannis reconfirmed Romania's support for NATO's co-operation with the European Union.He participated, Tuesday to Thursday, in the summit meeting of NATO heads of state or government in Madrid.According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, on Thursday, President Iohannis reconfirmed Romania's active support for consolidating and deepening co-operation with partners, both with those in the Eastern Neighbourhood and with those in the Southern Neighbourhood. He also highlighted the malicious actions of third-party actors in the Southern Neighbuorhood, as well as their impact on NATO's objectives and interests, and called for increased NATO support to strengthen the partners' capabilities. The Black Sea region was and continues to be a platform for Russia to spread its power to the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel region.Iohannis underlined Romania's continued support for NATO's increased commitment to its southern partners and for NATO's continued involvement in international counter-terrorism efforts, given that terror remains one of the main threats to Euro-Atlantic security.He pleaded for intensified support from the world community and the importance of unity in supporting those vulnerable to the fragmentation of food supply chains, especially southern partners, and gave assurances about Romania's active involvement.Iohannis spoke about Romania's support for NATO's co-operation with the European Union, welcoming the unprecedented level of interaction and practical co-operation between the two organisations.He also mentioned the significance of solidarity and complementarity between the two organisations in providing support to Ukraine saying that Romania supports the adoption, as soon as possible, of a new NATO-EU joint declaration that will highlight a common crisis management approach.Iohannis also underscored the importance of strengthening resilience and responding to cyber and hybrid threats, as well as technological innovation, to adapt the alliance to the challenges of the future. He voiced Romania's interest in staying connected to the developments in this area, in the spirit of the active profile that has consecrated Romania since its accession to the Euro-Atlantic bodies.On Wednesday, Iohannis attended the first formal meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state or government that addressed Russia's military invasion of Ukraine and its long-term regional, Euro-Atlantic and global implications. At the meeting, the new NATO Strategic Concept, the Summit Declaration, measures for strengthening and streamlining NATO's posture of deterrence and defence on the eastern flank were adopted, and a decision was made to increase support for Ukraine and other partners - Moldova and Georgia.Also on Wednesday, the Romanian chief of state attended the second formal meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state or government, with the participation of leaders from Australia, Finland, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Sweden, Georgia and the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission. NATO leaders discussed, together with partners who share the same vision, global challenges and threats, including the assertiveness of authoritarian actors, including China, and the articulation of a common position towards them, with a view to preserving and consolidating a rules-based international order.On Thursday, the third meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state or government was dedicated to challenges and threats in the Southern Neighbourhood. The meeting addressed latest developments in the fight against terrorism, ways to ensure food security and respond to other challenges in NATO's Southern Neighbourhood, as well as opportunities for NATO support for the defence capabilities of its Southern partners.During the summit on Wednesday evening, Iohannis attended a transatlantic dinner offered by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, and on Thursday, in the signing ceremony of a NATO Innovation Fund Letter of Commitment marking the approval by the attending leaders of a charter for Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).According to the Presidential Administration, for Romania, the summit, in which President Klaus Iohannis actively participated, was of particular importance, from the perspective of the fundamental decisions that strengthen security and defence on NATO's eastern flank and in the Black Sea region."These aspects match all the objectives pursued by Romania at this moment of reference in the history of the alliance, that have been fully fulfilled," the Presidential Administration release also reads.