Dincu: Pages of history cannot be turned to chapters in which Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain

The Minister of National Defence, Vasile Dincu, states that he remains firmly convinced that the pages of history cannot be turned to the chapters in which Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain and organized on the principle of spheres of influence, as the Russian Federation unfortunately wishes.

In a press release the Ministry of Defence sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday, the Minister of Defence makes a series of clarifications regarding the "speculations that appeared in the public space in connection with the so-called controversies" related to the statements he made at the end of last week, in connection with "Russia and the European security climate".

"The statements in question were made in the context in which the Russian Federation submitted to NATO a number of unacceptable provisions, including the return, from the point of view of European and Euro-Atlantic security, to the status prior to 1997, that is before the first enlargement wave of the Alliance to Central and Eastern Europe. I consider that such a request, which seeks pushing history back, is both unrealistic and absolutely unacceptable," Dincu underlines, Agerpres.ro informs.

The minister states that in his statements last week, talking about the recent history of the last decades, he evoked the speech recently given by the President of France, Emanuel Macron, in the European Parliament, on January 19, 2022.

"In his speech, the French President spoke about the need for unity of the Euro-Atlantic area in terms of security and defence, stating that the foundations of the continent's security were laid more than three decades ago, together and not without or against Russia, based on democratic principles of inter-state relations. In this context, paraphrasing President Macron, I have stated and remain firm in my view that the pages of history cannot be turned to the chapters in which Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain and organized on the principle of spheres of influence, as the Russian Federation unfortunately wishes. If we must learn from the lessons of the past, then we should remember the first years after the fall of communism when, together with and not against Russia, the European continent stepped into a new era. An era in which all European countries respect the principles of international law, without the use of force, pressure or threats, respecting the right of each country to make its own decisions," Dincu also states.