Speaking Thursday about the need to strengthen NATO's Eastern Flank, President Klaus Iohannis stressed that, in the case of the conflict triggered by Russia, "there is no indication" that there is a target other than Ukraine.
"At the moment there is no concrete indication that there is a target other than Ukraine, this is what we must say clearly. But we are convinced that the Eastern Flank must be strengthened. The Eastern flank must be strengthened and that is why we are very pleased that NATO has already made the decision to approve the battle group that will be stationed in Romania, as well as other combat groups have been approved, compared to four combat groups that are now on the Eastern Flank. There will be eight," the president said after the first day of the European Council in Brussels.
He talked about the importance of the Allied presence in the region.
"It is important for us in Romania, because the Eastern Flank is relatively less populated on the Black Sea side and this worried us, that's why we have continuously requested to have a permanent presence and this fighting group will constitute a permanent allied presence in our country, on the Black Sea. So through these moves that we are doing, Romania will be better defended but, in my opinion and according our opinion, we must not stop here, but make a long-term plan, to make the Eastern Flank much more solid and much better defended," Iohannis stressed.AGERPRES