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General Wolters: In the Black Sea area, the security environment is complex and dynamic
Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Tod D. Wolters, said on Friday that Romania "plays an incredible key role for all of the Alliance and NATO's commitment to defending Romania and all its allies remains ironclad."
General Wolters held a press conference alongside Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, at the Ministry of Defence headquarters.
"We are very proud of your nation and of NATO for the efforts made to ensure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis. As you know, Romania plays an extraordinary key role for the entire Alliance. This great nation is pivotal in its contribution to the security of the Black Sea region. On land, NATO's tailored forward presence is built around the Romanian-led Multinational Brigade. In the Black Sea, this nation's participation in joint exercises and maritime patrols contributes to NATO's awareness and security. In the air, NATO's Enhanced Air Policing over Romania territory reinforces NATO's collective defense, demonstrating NATO cohesion and the collective resolve of allies to implement deterrence and defence," the official said.
He went on to say that "NATO's commitment to defending Romania and all its allies remains ironclad".
He also spoke about the conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean, but also about the recent message sent by the NATO Secretary General regarding the investigation into the poisoning of Aleksei Navalny.
He affirmed that "Turkey and Greece are invaluable NATO allies". "As Commander of Allied Operations, it is my belief that the promotion of this continued dialogue is exactly where we need to continue and that's the path we are on," Wolters said.
He also referred to the importance of transparency in the case of Aleksei Navalny. "I think the Secretary-General's guidance is very very sage. I think promoting transparency is exactly where we need to continue to head," he said.
In his turn, the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Daniel Petrescu, highlighted Romania's involvement in maintaining the Alliance's security.
"In the Black Sea area, the security environment is complex and dynamic, which is why we addressed the importance of strengthening security on the southern segment of the Eastern Flank, starting from existing risks and threats, implementing a series of deterrence and defense measures for the Black Sea similar to those in the Baltic Sea, a comprehensive, integrated and coherent approach," the Romanian official also stated.
In this regard, he also spoke about "increasing the allied presence in Romania". "We are making every effort to develop and consolidate the allied multinational structures established on the Romanian territory," Petrescu said.
Regarding the Headquarters Multinational Division South - East, the Chief of Defence Staff said that there are currently discussions with potential participating countries.
"Our estimate is that this command will be able to declare the initial capacity in 2021 and we hope that by 2024 it will achieve full operational capacity," the Romanian official added.
Romania will continue to be a reliable partner for the allies, which is demonstrated in the military plan by the determination with which the Romanian military is carrying out its missions, but also politically - by allocating, for the fourth consecutive year, 2 pct of GDP for defence, said minister Nicolae Ciuca, who met with Allied Forces Chief Tod D. Wolters at the headquarters of the MApN on Friday.
"During our meeting with General Tod D. Wolters, commander-in-chief of Allied Forces Europe (SACEUR), we discussed strengthening NATO's position throughout the Eastern Flank of the Alliance and recent developments in the security situation in the Black Sea area," Ciuca wrote on Facebook.
President Klaus Iohannis welcomed, on Friday, at the Cotroceni presidential Palace, the NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and the Commander of the U.S. European Command, General Tod D. Wolters, on a visit to Romania, on which occasion the president reiterated Romania's commitment to participating in the Alliance's operations and missions and continuing to allocate 2% of GDP to Defence.
At the end of the meeting, the President decorated General Tod D. Wolters with the National Order "Star of Romania" in the rank of Grand Officer, with the insignia conferred for military merit, in times of peace, as a sign of high appreciation for the support given to Romania by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, for the real commitment to strengthening cooperation within NATO, as well as for the involvement in defining the future challenges of the security environment, the quoted source further mentions.