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Parliament approves establishment of NATO battlegroup on Romania's territory, under leadership of France
The plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approved, on Monday, with 309 votes "in favour" and five "against", the establishment of the NATO battlegroup on the territory of Romania, under the leadership of France.
"The hosting by Romania of one of the four NATO battlegroups on the national territory will demonstrate the unity of the Alliance and will contribute significantly to the integration of the operational structures of the Romanian Army with the allied forces, will lead to the increase of cohesion and the strengthening of the deterrence and defense posture of the Alliance and, last but not least, it will strengthen the strategic partnership with France and improve relations with Belgium and the Netherlands," reads president Klaus Iohannis' letter in which he requests Parliament to approve the establishment of this structure.
According to the document, the intention to establish four new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary was announced at the Extraordinary NATO Summit in Brussels in March 2022, in the context of the launch by the Russian Federation of the armed invasion of Ukraine and the generation of a special security situation in the region, as part of the allied measures to strengthen the deterrence and defense posture in the medium and long term. In these conditions, France expressed its intention to take over the role of framework nation of the structure on Romania's territory.
"The armed invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation drives us to manage a special security situation in the region, both for our country and for the Euro-Atlantic region, with an emphasis on NATO member states from the Eastern Flank," explained the head of state.