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The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated various global trends - geopolitical competition between state and non-state actors, NATO's Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Tuesday.
"The pandemic has done nothing but accelerate various global trends, geopolitical competition, competition between state and non-state actors, a real technological revolution, including in the military dimension, an intensification, an exacerbation of older security problems amplified by these currents that create a mix of security issues that are much broader and more complex than traditionally. NATO is such a successful alliance because it has in its genetic code this gene of permanent adaptation to a changing security environment. What we are doing today at NATO is both our leaders and the Romanians working for NATO contribute significantly to this transformation of NATO for the new security challenges," Geoana told a roundtable conference organised by the Defense, Public Order and National Security Committee of Romania's Chamber of Deputies that discussed the geostrategic importance of the Black Sea and Romania's contribution to NATO's eastern flank, agerpres.ro confirms.
He announced that a new NATO strategic concept was being considered.
"We are expecting the NATO summit of 2022 to put forth, with the endorsement of our leaders and the support of the NATO nations, a new strategic concept of NATO. Because, indeed, in addition to the traditional security risks (...) there are still many risks that are below the threshold of Article 5. (...) At NATO, I also deal with the innovation area and I am very pleased that Romania has announced its intention to participate in a NATO innovation fund," added Geoana.
According to him, "without its NATO integration, Romania would probably have had to wait far longer to join the European Union."
"I believe that all lawmakers, especially those in the national parliament who have an explicit part in the area of national defence and security, should join in an effort to engage in all that has to do with political ecosystem, political superstructure, national parliaments and international spheres where we can promote our interests, we can defend the interests of the alliance and we can promote and advance the interests of Romania," said Geoana.
