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Iohannis: Our military continue to make the army an authentic ambassador of Romania
Our military continue to make the army an authentic ambassador of our country on an international level, President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday at the ceremony organised on the Romanian Army Day.
"In the constitutional architecture, the Romanian Army has the essential role of guaranteeing the independence, sovereignty, state unity and territorial integrity of the country. With devotion and professionalism, our military continue to make the army an authentic ambassador of our country on an international level, contributing fully to the consolidation of Romania's strategic relevance and profile at the global level," said Iohannis.
He said that Europe is currently facing "an unprecedented crisis."
"Peace and the entire global security environment are threatened by regional conflicts, with the potential to escalate. Europe is facing an unprecedented crisis since the Second World War as a result of the brutal and illegal military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, while the shocking and reprehensible terrorist attack of 7 October against the State of Israel risks completely destabilising the Middle East in the long term," Iohannis said.
The President stressed that, in this difficult context, "the role of the Romanian Army in ensuring national security and collective defence on NATO's Eastern flank is all the more relevant."
"The Romanian military, together with the allies present on the territory of our country, whom I thank on this occasion, are key elements in maintaining NATO's deterrence and defence posture in the Black Sea region, an area of strategic importance for the Euro-Atlantic space," Iohannis said.
Moreover, Iohannis stressed that, at present, through the affiliation to NATO and the Strategic Partnership with the United States, "Romania benefits from the most solid security guarantees in history."
"In turn, we are determined to defend the values of democracy and we are fully committed to the efforts to strengthen regional, European and Euro-Atlantic security and stability. We will continue to be a credible and predictable partner within NATO and the European Union, a pillar of stability in Eastern Europe and an important provider of security in the Black Sea region," said Klaus Iohannis.
He pointed out that Romania will continue to pay "special attention" to endowing the army with modern combat and protection equipment.
"Starting this year, we are allocating 2.5% of GDP to defence, and at least 20% of this budget will continue to be earmarked for endowing the armed forces. This solid base will allow us to carry out a series of programmes to modernise existing equipment and endow it with modern ones, including: multirole aircraft, modern defensive systems and equipment, radar systems, as well as individual and collective protection equipment," Iohannis said.
During the ceremony, which took place in the "Carol I" Park in the Capital, the President decorated the battle flag of the Defence Staff.
AGERPRES
