Mark Rutte: Romania invests in NATO and NATO invests in Romania

 Romania invests in NATO and NATO invests in Romania, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte declared on Wednesday.In a joint press conference with President Nicusor Dan, after the meeting held at the Cotroceni Palace, the senior NATO official emphasized that "Romania is a valuable ally for 20 years", specifying that Romania shows a spirit of leadership in the Black Sea area, which is a "strategic point" in the region.At the same time, he appreciated the support granted by Romania to Ukraine."Romania understands the importance of investing in defense and is an example in this regard. (...) Romania invests in NATO and NATO invests in Romania", pointed out Mark Rutte.According to him, in the context of the entry of Russian drones into Romanian airspace, the North Atlantic Alliance reacted "promptly"."Regardless of what the intentions were, NATO takes such incidents extremely seriously and we will remain vigilant", explained Rutte, adding that the Alliance is "capable and ready to do anything in terms of defense".    NATO is "always" ready to defend, Mark Rutte said on Wednesday in Bucharest. "As a defensive Alliance, we are always ready to defend," Mark Rutte said in remarks at a joint press conference with President Nicusor Dan after their meeting at the Cotroceni Palace.The top NATO official underscored the Alliance's unity, saying that in the event of an attack "31 countries will come to Romania's defense, that's how NATO works."You have your national army, of course, but if an attack occurs from anywhere, whether from Russia or elsewhere, an attack on NATO or Romania, it's not just Eastern Sentry that will help you, it's not just the forward presence forces that will come to your defense, but the whole of NATO will come to your rescue with the F-35 fleet and the full-strength ground forces. That's how NATO works. We make sure that we defend every inch of allied territory, Rutte assured.He added that this unity makes NATO "invincible" and that he doesn't think anyone will even try to defeat the Alliance.Regarding the withdrawal of American troops from Romania, the NATO Secretary General commented that there is nothing unusual about that and the subject is being made into a bigger deal than it is. The US has a strong military presence in Europe, it is here, he said. In this context, they are always thinking about how to better use their resources. Adjustments to the US force posture just happen, don't dwell on this too much. If and when needed, we can supplement the [allied] forces, including in Romania, Rutte said.With regard to defense on the eastern flank, President Nicusor Dan mentioned that NATO's Eastern Sentry operation involves "multiple military capabilities and people precisely when needed", and gave the example of the ongoing Dacian Fall exercise taking place in Romania with the participation of 5,000 allied troops. President Dan spoke of "a common approach regarding the eastern flank, because this is where the obvious threat is."  (Photo:https://www.presidency.ro/)