PM Ciuca: We cannot understand how NATO and Ukraine's measures and actions can be viewed as provocations

Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca declared on Tuesday, during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, that he did not understand how NATO and Ukraine's measures and actions could be viewed as provocations, specifying that the implications of this situation are currently being assessed within the Alliance.

"I would like to mention that today I discussed with the Secretary General many issues of major importance, including the preparations for the Madrid summit in which the future strategic concept of the Alliance will be adopted. I also assured the Secretary General that Romania will continue to honor its commitment of providing 2 percent of GDP for defense and also that Romania intends to continue to participate actively and significantly in the debates on NATO's strategic concept and of course the future missions in which the Alliance will be engaged," premier Ciuca told a joint press conference alongside Secretary General Stoltenberg.

The head of the Romanian Executive specified the talks focused on "the security situation around Ukraine and the Black Sea."

"The current concentration of Russian troops is significant, unprovoked and unjustified. We cannot understand how NATO and Ukraine's measures and actions could be seen as provocations. We are currently assessing the implications of this situation within the Alliance. It goes without saying that NATO will defend all its members because our commitment to collective defense remains the cornerstone of the Alliance," Ciuca said.

He affirmed that in light of all this, he discussed with Secretary General Stoltenberg how security could be strengthened more effectively.

"The current evolution of security confirms once again the need to strengthen threat-deterrence and defense actions on the eastern flank and the Black Sea in a coherent and balanced manner. At the same time, beyond focusing on more prevention and defense, I believe a de-escalation of the situation should take place. As mentioned last week by NATO and its allies, any new aggression against Ukraine will have serious consequences," the Romanian prime minister said.

He reaffirmed Romania's support for Ukraine in terms of sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. "The right of any state to freely link its foreign policy is a fundamental principle of sovereignty, and NATO strongly supports this principle," he said.

"I agreed with the Secretary General today that NATO's current policy of prevention and defense, while remaining open to dialogue, is still valid. The Alliance has established channels of dialogue with the Russian Federation and has launched numerous calls for dialogue. In order for this dialogue to be effective, we need a de-escalation of the situation," Nicolae Ciuca further argued.AGERPRES