PM Ciuca: Romania has achieved all its strategic goals at the NATO Summit in Madrid
Romania has achieved all its strategic goals at the NATO Summit in Madrid and has never been more secure in the face of direct and persistent threats in its immediate vicinity, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Thursday.
“The Alliance’s Strategic Concept notes that the Black Sea is a NATO area of strategic interest. Russia is defined as the main threat to Euro-Atlantic security and, as a result, NATO is consolidating its long-term allied position of deterrence and defense on the Eastern Flank. As part of the strengthening of NATO’s position on the Eastern Flank, NATO records the project to place a substantial and persistent ground presence, strengthening air and missile defense, pre-positioning military equipment and improving important infrastructure to ensure reinforcements, very important aspects for Romania. US President Joe Biden announced additional American presence in Romania by deploying a Combat Brigade Command to our country. We welcome this contribution that marks the consistency of the Romania-US Strategic Partnership”, reads the message posted by Ciuca on the Government’s Facebook account.
He also welcomed the announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron of a long-term NATO military presence in Romania.
“The Combat Group set up in Romania can be increased from the battalion level, as it is currently established, to the brigade level – if the security situation so requires. We also welcome the announcement by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who took the decision to deploy to Romania a long-term military presence within NATO, a brigade that can be activated in case of need. Romania has never been more secure in the face of direct and persistent threats in its immediate vicinity,” Ciuca said, according to the mentioned source.
ForMin Aurescu: Supplementing the allied troops in Romania favours Romania’s security interests
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu highlighted on Thursday that supplementing the allied troops in Romania favours Romania’s security interests.
“It is one of the most important decision this summit has made and which is obviously in favour of Romania’s security interests, as we have constantly sought in the recent period to consolidate the deterrence and defence posture on the Eastern Flank, and the summit has made decisions in this respect in the continuation and based on the very important decision that, again, we obtained in the March 24 Summit, namely that on the creation of those four new battlegroups, on Romania’s territory included, which balances NATO’s approach in respect to the Eastern Flank,” Aurescu said on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Madrid.
Aurescu stressed that at the moment there is a uniform approach on the Eastern Flank.
“Based on this achievement Romania obtained through Romania’s President at the March 24 Summit, the Summit these days has decided to additionally consolidate this posture, and it is being done round the possibility of enhancing the troop level on the Eastern Flank in respect to the battalion forming the battlegroup, through the possible transformation of this battalion in battle brigade, which means that if the military authorities consider it necessary, depending on the threat level they assess, then the battlegroup will go from the battalion level to the brigade level,” Aurescu explained.
He added that the new concept on the consolidation of the defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank also consider the allotment of precise forces, which will strengthen the allied presence on Romania’s territory, if necessary.
“In case there is an attack from a third state, then the forces on Romania’s territory will ensure the first response, and meanwhile, in an extremely short interval, the forces that have already been deployed for the respective country will come to support this activity of defence on the respective territory,” the minister said.
Among the Summit documents, according to Aurescu, there is also the decision to pre-position equipment and arms on the territory of each allied state from the Eastern Flank, which ensures a more efficient defence.
The exact details of these decisions will be established in the period ahead by the military authorities.
“It is very important that we have a concept, which fundamentally transforms the defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank and makes it more efficient,” Aurescu also said.
The Foreign Minister appreciated that the Madrid NATO Summit Declaration including the term of Forward Defence is an achievement of Romania.
“It is for the first time when this term is included in a document of a NATO summit,” Aurescu showed.
Tasks have been established for the military authorities to further develop the Alliance’s concept regarding defence in the maritime area.
“There are decisions that have already been taken as well in respect to the air component of the defence on the Eastern Flank,” the Foreign Minister said.
Defining the Black Sea as NATO strategic interest area will certainly have an impact in the security context in the region, he also showed.
“This shows that NATO will further prioritarily focus on this region. This means that more resources will be allotted in the future, a central role will be granted to everything that means the strategic projection of the North Atlantic Alliance ten years ahead from now, a period during which the new strategic concept will function,” Aurescu explained.
Moreover, he showed that at Romania’s proposal the strategic concept also includes the mention on Russia as being a main and direct threat to Euro-Atlantic security.
Among the Summit decisions there will be the enhancement of the NATO response forces from 40,000 to 300,000 servicemen and the consolidation on a brigade level of the battlegroups of the allies on the Eastern Flank, where there will also be pre-positioned additional quantities of military equipment and materials.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced within the Summit a consolidation of the U.S. military presence and capacities in Spain, Poland, Romania, in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), in the UK, Germany and Italy.
“We’re gonna maintain an additional rotational brigade which is 3,000 fighters and another 2,000 personnel combat team here in Europe, headquartered in Romania,” Joe Biden said.
DefMin Dincu: Romania becomes a much more important part of the territory defended by NATO
According to Romania’s Defence Minister Vasile Dincu, by declaring the strategic importance of the Black Sea, Romania becomes a much more important part of the territory defended by NATO.
“Romania becomes a much more important part of NATO’s territory because something is happening that was normal to happen: a balance is being created between north and south. While the Baltic Sea, the North Sea area was much better defended before, so the northern part, we now have an equivalent presence in the Black Sea area, which is very important. Secondly, this is important because we have a much better presence in this area of the Black Sea, on the eastern flank and from other perspectives, because the summit brings not only a multiplied presence – you saw what the US announced – of military forces, in the sense that bringing a command at the brigade level will probably bring with it more troops in Romania, but it also means pre-positioning of equipment and elements related to parts and other things,” Dincu told a NATO summit meeting in Madrid.
He also spoke about NATO’s new strategic concept.
“The new NATO concept seeks to bring a rapid response to the crisis and greater flexibility, greater adaptation to the situation, greater flexibility in the presence and military forces, but also of equipment in the area. A much greater capacity for action, rapid response to the crisis,” Dincu said.
He added having discussed at the meeting locations where the equipment that will exist on the Romanian soil and the quantities could be positioned.
“There will be strategic locations even in a new area that was previously not very present in terms of NATO’s military position, it is air defence and missile defence. There was no such thing before, but no positions were established, no quantities were established,” he added.
The minister also said no deadlines had been set.
“We are working strategically, there will be a timetable. We will probably make it public when it is negotiated. At the moment, it is a matter of approving in principle a series of capabilities,” said the minister.
He mentioned that there are no details about the announcement made by the US regarding the increase of the American presence on the Romanian soil.
“There are currently 2,700 US troops on our soil. The number could increase, but we do not have any details. (…) We will have in the future,” said Dincu.
Dincu said that there are no deadlines for promoting to brigade level the NATO battlegroup in Romania, for which France is a framework nation.
Compiled from Agerpres
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