President Iohannis in Warsaw says high time to pursue security consolidation

The NATO summit due in Brussels will be yet another contribution to a safer future of the member states, on Friday said President Klaus Iohannis, at the first plenary session of the B9 "Warsaw Plus: bringing the security of NATO's Eastern Flank to the next level", at the Presidential Palace of Poland. 

'The NATO summit will be yet another contribution to a safer future for us. At the Wales NATO Summit we responded swiftly and resolutely to the crisis that had broken out. At the Warsaw Summit we endorsed historic decisions and went on with the NATO's adjustment process. It is high time that we continued to strengthen our security. The B9 states benefited from the measures adopted and equally contributed to enhancing the allied deterrence and defence posture and to advocating our partners. We must capitalize on this moment and make sure that the NATO is ready, has the capability to accomplish its tasks,' Iohannis asserted. 

He said that from its establishment till today, the B9 has verified its efficiency and stressed that the NATO Summit should reassert the Alliance's solidity in its entirety and that of the transatlantic connection. 

'The fair sharing of responsibilities contributes to the allied unity and solidarity and in equal measure, to a strong Alliance. This is our main approach,' Klaus Iohannis specified. 

The President indicated the concrete steps to have in mind, mainly the NATO adjustment to the new security environment that brings ceaseless challenges. 
'We have to make sure that we have the necessary staff with the proper fight capacity, together with the command structure and the suitable capabilities to efficiently deter Russia,' he added. 

Iohannis considers that a unitary approach of the advanced allied presence on the Eastern flank should be supported at July's NATO Summit. 

'Moreover, we must stay vigilant through strengthening our early warning capabilities, included. We should act together to fully implement our posture on absolutely all dimensions - land, sea and air - and ensure its coherence,' Klaus Iohannis added. 

He emphasized that the allied states must stay consistent to the main approach eyeing Russia. In his opinion, the partner states must be backed so as to enhance their resilience, saying that Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, along the Western Balkans' countries are among the most vulnerable to hybrid actions. 

'They need our support to boost their own capabilities to resist the external pressure that aim to cut off their own aspirations,' Iohannis added. 

The President also said that the states participating in the B9 format should continue to encourage Georgia, while in their dialogue with the rest of the allies to bolster the importance of improving this relation. As for Ukraine, the president said that the practical cooperation with the Alliance should be strengthened, meaning that the reforms in all fields should be supported. According to him, the Brussel's NATO Summit should carry on with the Open Door Policy, reasoning that this kind of policy has been an essential component of the Alliance's contribution to Europe's peace and security. 

The President asserted that the commitment in the South must become a key-component of the partnership with the EU, to be focused on those partners that are in need of and ask for support, and to be backed with proper resources and oriented towards those areas where NATO is bringing real added value.