Romania's response to current security challenges - the topic discussed by Bolojan with the parties

  The representatives of the parliamentary parties were received on Wednesday at Cotroceni by the interim president, Ilie Bolojan who convened consultations in which they presented their strategies regarding the most important issues of foreign policy.The respective meetings took place before Bolojan’s participation in the European Council in Brussels on 6 March and approached especially Romania’s answer to the present security challenges.   It is the first time when in a matter that regards the exclusive attributions of the president of Romania who has major and long-term implications the function holder wants to get if not an official mandate, at least a consolidated point of view of the political parties on.which he bases his decision.   In the message which explained the consultations, president Bolojan mentioned one inevitable direction: increase of defence expenses, so that ‘European countries will need to assume a more important role and support a large part of the costs of ensuring peace in Europe”. How much in the case of Romania and under what conditions it is to be seen after these discussions.   As for sending Romanian troops in Ukraine, for the moment it is out of the question as these peace-keeping troops presume there is peace, which is still far.The majority of the parties rejected the scenario where Romania needs to send peace-keeping troops in the event of Russian-Ukrainian conflict cease of fire.The order in which the parties delegations where called by the president for meetings of almost half of hour coincided to the number of MP each political formation had.*PSD – the president of the party, premier Marcel Ciolacu announced that the first proposal of the social-democrats had on Wednesday morning at the consultations at Cotroceni was that of not sending Romanian troops to Ukraine. Similarly, the social-democrats favour a supplimentary allocation for Defence under the format of investments in the national armament industry as well as for the exclusion of defence expenses for the budget deficit.* AUR - The consultations with the Head of State are a sign of a return to dialogue, said AUR President George Simion, before entering the talks at the Cotroceni Palace. He defended the same theme that the PSD has also advocated - the refusal to send Romanian troops to Ukraine. *USR - USR President Elena Lasconi later said that she proposed at the Cotroceni Palace consultations that the money that is not used from the PNRR should go to a defence component, a plan to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, the formation of a European defence task force in the hybrid war, anti-disinformation measures, noting that she asked interim President Ilie Bolojan for clarification on the cancellation of elections.   Regarding the possibility of Romania sending peace-keeping troops to Ukraine, the USR leader appreciated that it is not the moment for such an analysis. ‘As long as there is no peace in Ukraine, we have no truce, so I think that it is premature to discuss this ‘ the USR leader said.*S.O.S. Romania - The president of the party, Diana ?o?oaca, said at the meeting with the interim president that the political party she leads is open to dialogue.   "Romania does not send any kind of troops to Ukraine, no matter under what name they are camouflaged, and is firmly against the continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian war and Romania's participation in this conflict," S.O.S. said in a statement after the meeting.   * POT - Party leader Anamaria Gavrila said that her party's delegation would no longer go to the consultations, as former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu was summoned to the Prosecutor's Office. Earlier, Gavrila had declared that the Young People's Party would go to the Cotroceni consultations with a mandate for peace.   'We cannot talk about sending troops when peace has not already been negotiated and finalised. It seems a defiance to talk about sending troops when the negotiation is about peace,' she said.   *UDMR - Romania can provide logistical and infrastructural support for Ukraine, for the EU member states and for those who want to get more actively involved, but without Romanian troops in Ukraine, was the conclusion presented by the party's delegation at the consultations held at the Cotroceni, said the leader of the Union, Kelemen Hunor.   'Security guarantees must be provided also through the United States and Romania can provide logistical and infrastructural support for Ukraine, for the EU member states and for those who wish to become more actively involved, but without troops in Ukraine,' he said.   *Varujan Pambuccian from the parliamentary group of national minorities welcomed the President's dialogue initiative.   "You have done the right thing by calling us all here, because these are issues that we have not discussed with the President for a long time and it is good to have meetings like this," he said at the meeting with the interim head of state.   *PNL – the delegation of the National Liberal Party was led by Catalin Predoiu the interim president of PNL together with the prime-vicepresidents of the party, Dan Mosteanu, Emil Boc, Ciprian Ciucu and the general secretary Adrian Ioan Vestea.  (Photo:https://www.presidency.ro/)