Homeland security expert: Romania - among privileged US dialogue and cooperation partners and security, intelligence exchange

Romania is among the United States' privileged partners of dialogue and cooperation on security and intelligence exchange, Frank Cilluffo, director of the George Washington University's Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, told a symposium on security and defense organized by the EU Delegation to the US in partnership with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The American expert remarked Romania's efforts as regards the intelligence services and the resources invested in ensuring resilience to the new cyberspace threats, stating that its successes place Romania among the US privileged partners of dialogue and cooperation in the field of security and intelligence exchange, the Romanian Embassy to the US said in a release this Thursday.

Attending the event, Romania's Ambassador to the US George Cristian Maior said that Romania has developed national capabilities and instruments to increase resilience on the NATO and EU south-eastern flank, in response to the constant challenges and threats in recent years in the Black Sea extended region.

According to Maior, "the consultation and dialogue mechanisms established by Romania together with its NATO and EU allies and partners allow a comprehensive assessment of the security situation in the region, leading to the best collective decisions to counteract threats." At the same time, the Ambassador emphasized the need to reaffirm solidarity at NATO and EU level as a way to discourage the current challenges, whether they occur in conventional armaments or stem from hybrid action.

The Romanian Ambassador participated in the session titled "US, EU and NATO Reaction to Russian Hybrid Activity" which was modeled on an interactive scenario built around a NATO and EU member state from South East Europe subjected to Russian hybrid threat. The working scenario assumed a succession of events - cyber-attack on the national financial system, attack on critical energy infrastructure, high-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the national territory - and the presentation delivered by the Ambassador of Romania illustrated the decision-making process in national crisis situations, at bilateral level and within NATO and the EU.

Also attending the 7th Annual EU Security and Defense Symposium held in Washington on Wednesday were US Senators, officials of the US Department of Defense, ministers from EU member states, EU officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps and Washington think tanks. agerpres