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Iohannis: I have no signal and no indication that there is any danger of attacks in Romania
President Klaus Iohannis declared, on Wednesday, that there is no direct threat to Romania and he has "no signal and no indication" that there is any danger of attacks or other "undesirable events" targeting our country.
"There is no direct threat, but surely the military always prepare for all possible situations. From all the information I have, I can tell you that Romania is a safe country. Romanians should not be afraid, but, of course, we should always be prepared for unexpected events. There is no need to panic or think that Romania is somehow threatened. Today, by being in NATO, Romania benefits from the most important security guarantees we have ever had and in this sense we must be aware of the value of our NATO membership, of our European Union membership and so on. It is very, very important to understand that we are not alone, we are together with our allies and we face any situation very well," declared the head of state.
Regarding the option for Romania to hand over a Patriot system to Ukraine, Iohannis said that it is a matter that must be discussed with specialists from the army, then in the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT), noting that he does not accept, under any circumstances, that Romania remains without anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense.
"I do not comment on this matter and I do not think that it has any place in the general public space. It is a matter that must be discussed with the specialists in the army, which, in the end, must be decided in the CSAT and the result communicated. I do not think that a broad public debate is wanted on such a highly specialized case and which, of course, must be taken to an area where, unfortunately, we have an armed conflict," said Iohannis, questioned in connection with the option of transferring a Patriot battery to Ukraine.
Asked when he will call a meeting of the Supreme Council for the National Defence to discuss this issue, Iohannis said: "As soon as the experts clarify the issues".
"It is not simple. Let's not imagine that we are talking here about (...) a trailer with three devices. It is very complicated. There are contracts that were made between the supplier and the beneficiary, there are very sophisticated installations and these things must be very well clarified, not to mention the fact that I do not accept, under any circumstances, that Romania remains without anti-missile defence and without anti-aircraft defence, that is what we are talking about. So, to the extent that something is given up, Romania must receive something else, or else nothing will be done," the president said.