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Jens Stoltenberg: Romania, very valuable ally, and NATO is prepared to defend it
Romania is a very valuable ally and NATO is prepared to defend Romania, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Jens Stoltenberg told a joint press conference held on Wednesday after the meeting with the Prime Minister of the Romanian government. Nicolae Ciuca, visiting Brussels.
You are the host of one of the new NATO battle groups in the Black Sea region. You provide an example in terms of defence spending. And Romania hosts a key NATO Ballistic Missile Defence site. I also welcome the diplomatic efforts you are making to strengthen NATO, including by hosting a meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest next month, said the head of the North Atlantic Alliance.
As regards Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, Stoltenberg stated in the joint press conference that Russian President Vladimir Putin is failing on the battlefield and is responding with more indiscriminate attacks on Ukrainian cities, against civilians and critical infrastructure and with a dangerous nuclear rhetoric. Moreover, Stoltenberg added, Russia's accusation that Ukraine is preparing a "dirty bomb" is "obviously false".
Stoltenberg went on to say that NATO will not be intimidated or discouraged from supporting Ukraine's right to self-defence as long as necessary.
We are strengthening NATO's presence from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea. Fighter jets from Canada help maintain the security of the region's airspace, and thousands of French, Dutch, Belgian and American soldiers are in Romania to deter aggression. These developments send a clear message: NATO is ready to defend Romania. And all the other allies, emphasized the head of the North Atlantic Alliance.
In turn, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Wednesday at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, in a joint statement with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Romania will continue to be a "responsible" and "active" contributor to the promotion of Euro-Atlantic security and stability, and the reinforcement of NATO's deterrence and defense posture in a unitary manner is "essential".
"Romania remains fully committed to fulfilling all its obligations and we will continue to be a responsible and active contributor to the promotion of Euro-Atlantic security and stability. The increase of the defense budget to 2.5 percent of GDP is a concrete step in this regard, in the spirit of allied solidarity," the Prime Minister said.
According to Ciuca, the implementation of the decisions adopted at the Madrid NATO Summit for the firm and sustainable bolstering of the allied position, including on the Eastern Flank and in Romania, is "crucial".
"Strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense posture overall in a unitary and consistent manner is essential for the Alliance to be able to promptly and efficiently respond to all the threats it faces," PM Ciuca went on to say.
The creation of the France-led Battle Group that includes military contingents from the Netherlands and Belgium represents "a materialization of these decisions and a concrete proof of the solidarity and unity that characterizes the Alliance," the Prime Minister added.
"Let me thank on this occasion France, the Netherlands and Belgium for their involvement and solidarity, and I also thank the United States for their presence in Romania. We appreciate the active role and substantial engagement of the Secretary General in the adoption of a set of visionary decisions, in support of Euro-Atlantic security, and we encouraged the continuation of these efforts in the next period, for the implementation of the adopted decisions. The full implementation of all the allied leaders' decisions is an absolute priority," said Ciuca, who also pointed out the importance of the upcoming NATO foreign ministerial meeting that will take place in Bucharest at the end of November.
(Photo: https://www.nato.int/)