PM Marcel Ciolacu: I asked NATO Secretary General to support addition and strengthening of allied presence in Romania

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu informed, on Monday, that he requested the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, to support the addition and strengthening of the allied military presence in Romania, as an "indispensable" step for a credible deterrence of Russian threats, but also to strengthen the position of the organization on The eastern flank, at the Black Sea.Ciolacu, visiting Brussels, had a meeting with Rutte at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance."I assured Mr. Secretary General, during this first meeting with a Romanian official, of the full support of the Government that I lead and of my staff for the fulfillment of his so important mandate. I felt Mr. Rutte's solidarity from the first moments of his mandate , when he gave a firm statement of support for Romania in the context of the incident with the Russian drones in October, and I thank him for this. Romania and the Romanian people have a deep attachment to the values NATO and the transatlantic relationship, the United States and the European Union are the pillars on which we build our security and defense,"declared Ciolacu, in the joint press statements made with Mark Rutte, at the end of the meeting.He emphasized that, for 20 years, Romanian society has developed and prospered behind the NATO shield, which provides the country with the most solid security guarantees in its history."We are ready to contribute to strengthening the Alliance and maintaining a transatlantic relationship as solid as possible. It is all the more important to do this, given that we are facing an extremely complicated security context. The Russian Federation has chosen to become the greater threat to NATO. Russia has brought the war back to Europe, right on the borders of Romania, and this has increased the level of concern among our citizens. That is why we are here, shoulder to shoulder, to give a strong message that Romanians are safe and stable. Romania is part of NATO, the Alliance has a consistent presence in Romania, and this is the guarantee that every centimeter of our territory is fully defended," the PM said.Marcel Ciolacu highlighted that he fully shares the vision of the NATO Secretary General according to which "no country can answer security threats alone"."I conveyed to Mr. Secretary General Romania's gratitude both to the allies who concretely support us, and to NATO which adopted measures dedicated to Romania in the field of land and air defense. We have a consistent allied military presence in Romania, but we asked the Secretary General to support the addition and strengthening of this presence, but also the consolidation of NATO's position on the Eastern Flank, at the Black Sea approach is indispensable for the credible deterrence of Russian threats. In addition, the violations of allied airspace and the aggressive posture of Russia in the Black Sea show how important it is to increase the forces in the area and to offer a solid and united response of the Alliance," he mentioned.He pointed out that, in this context, he conveyed to the Secretary General of NATO that Romania understands and respects its commitments and is in solidarity with its allies and partners."We have already allocated 2.5% of the GDP for Defense this year and we will continue to prioritize investments in defense in the next period as well," stated the Prime Minister.Marcel Ciolacu announced that he informed Rutte that, during this week, Romania will sign the letter of acceptance with the American side for the program to purchase 32 latest generation F-35 aircraft."We will continue to invest significant sums in the modernization of the Army, because we want Romania to prove through concrete facts that it is a reliable ally and a security provider in the region and beyond," added the prime minister.The Head of the Executive reiterated that Romania will continue to provide multi-dimensional support to Ukraine and also to support the effort of the Republic of Moldova."Russia's war against Ukraine is a tragedy unfolding on our borders. Romania has unreservedly supported Ukraine's legitimate fight against Russian aggression and for the defense of its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to provide multi-dimensional support to Ukraine. Donation the Patriot system and the training of Ukrainian pilots in Romania, together with the Romanian ones allies, on the F-16 planes there are only a few elements that demonstrate the extent of our assistance. But, at the same time, we must pay attention to the Republic of Moldova, which is our partner most affected by the war after Ukraine. We have recently witnessed the attempt to to divert the European course of the Republic of Moldova. We have an obligation to support Chisinau and we want to be able to contribute to this effort together," indicated Ciolacu.Romania will remain the same reliable ally within NATO, he confirmed."In the face of all threats, NATO has become stronger and more extensive, and I believe it is our duty to all contribute to strengthening the Alliance and Euro-Atlantic security. Thank you, Mr. Secretary General, once again for all your support and I assure you that Romania will remain the same reliable ally within NATO for the challenging mandate you have, but also of NATO," Prime Minister Ciolacu mentioned.During the visit to the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Prime Minister also had a meeting with Romanian experts and members of the Permanent Delegation of Romania to NATO. (Photo:https://www.nato.int/)