Romania is fully committed to NATO's efforts to ensure the security and stability of the eastern flank, Romania's Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu said on Wednesday, when he participated in a meeting of NATO defence ministers hosted by the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
"Very important moving forward will remain the coordination of our efforts for a credible deterrence and an effective defence. Romania is fully committed to the Allied efforts to ensure the security and stability of the NATO eastern flank. Moreover, given that Romania is one of the NATO member states affected by numerous incidents of drone airspace violations, we support the development of several initiatives at NATO level to provide a collective response to these drones. It is a pragmatic way to counter emerging threats," Romania's Defence Ministry (MApN) quotes Mosteanu as saying in a press statement released on Wednesday.
The meeting included two working sessions, the first in a NATO format dedicated to the deterrence and defence agenda, followed by an informal lunch, in the format of the NATO-Ukraine Council, with the participation of the EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas, and the Ukrainian Minister of Defence, Denys Shmyhal.
During the session of the North Atlantic Council, priorities were discussed regarding the implementation of the commitments at the highest level from the NATO Summit in The Hague, as well as the recent events that affected the security situation on the NATO eastern flank, and the incursions of the Russian Federation into the airspace of Romania, Poland and Estonia.
The importance of consultations within the allied framework was underlined, following the invocation of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, as well as the launch of the Eastern Sentry, an operation meant to ensure the security of the entire eastern flank.
According to MApN, discussions followed the latest developments in the implementation of the components of the deterrence and defence posture, with guidelines being established for the further transformation of forces and capabilities, including through an innovative design.
Aspects regarding NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) mission and its execution framework were also presented, as well as the status of the Alliance's missions and operations.
At the same time, special attention was paid to the implementation of the NATO/CT25 Capability Targets and the fulfilment of the Allied commitment on defence investments agreed in The Hague (5% of GDP) by 2035, as well as to ways to increase the production capacity of the defence industry.
Mosteanu highlighted the constant efforts undertaken at national level, including in terms of legal framework, and reiterated Romania's important role in the provisions of security and stability in the Black Sea region and the substantial contribution the country to the consolidation of the NATO eastern flank.
The second session of discussions, the NATO-Ukraine Council, was dedicated to the support for Ukraine and the ongoing efforts to conclude a just and lasting peace, MApN mentions.
Thus, ways to accelerate the support provided to Ukraine through various existing mechanisms were pointed out, including the contributions offered through the Comprehensive Assistance Package/CAP for Ukraine, and through participation in the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), as well as NATO-EU cooperation. A meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) was also organised, hosted by the British Secretary of Defence, John Healey, and the German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius.
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