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PM Ciolos: Romania will continue to be a security provider at the eastern border of NATO and the EU
In a complicated geopolitical context, Romania will continue to be a security provider at the eastern border of NATO and the EU, said Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, attending on Thursday the presentation of the 2015 report on the activity of the National Defence Ministry (MApN).
"The geopolitical context is a complicated one. Romania remains a security anchor in this region. Our country will continue to be a security provider at NATO's and the European Union's eastern border. In this capacity, we have the responsibility to secure and strengthen at the same time the national security, but also to contribute to ensuring NATO's collective defence," Ciolos said.
The PM underscored that to this end it is essential to increase the Defence budget to a minimum 2 percent of the GDP in 2017 and "to maintain this level for the next ten years, at least."
Ciolos added that in the future, the Romanian Forces operational capacity must be enhanced "in correlation with the allotment of the necessary funds for equipment, including with major equipment."
"In order to materialize this priority of the National Defence Ministry, a strategic review of defence might be considered, which is actually also mentioned in the report, given the developments in the security environment; this revision is encompassed by the legislative framework in force or underway," the PM pointed out.