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Romania does not share the opinions whereby the Alliance is in crisis, Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said in the meeting of the NATO foreign affairs ministers in Brussels, on Wednesday, according to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE).
"Any process of reflection on the future of the Alliance must, in Romania's view, be able to identify any internal problems and external challenges of NATO, to facilitate the Alliance's adaptation process and to remove any perceptions - which are in any case erroneous - that the Alliance would be in crisis. Such a process could lead, in the opinion of the Romanian Foreign Affairs minister, to the modernization of NATO's strategic concept," the release said.
Bogdan Aurescu underlined the special importance of the the allied states' unity and solidarity, in the perspective of the meeting at the highest level in London, underscoring the importance of a strong message in support of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. He presented the concrete contributions of Romania in this regard, materialized both in providing the necessary resources for the modernization of the national armed forces, as well as in the significant contributions to the allied operations and missions.
He stressed the need for continued concrete progress in implementing the decisions taken, including those targeting the Alliance's eastern flank as a whole. In this context, he underlined the importance of the full implementation of the decisions regarding the Black Sea region and of ensuring increased contributions from the allies, in order to strengthen the allied posture of deterrence and defense in this region, on land, sea and air.
Minister Bogdan Aurescu pointed out the importance of further developing practical dialogue and cooperation with Georgia, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, in order to increase their resilience to internal and external challenges. He also stressed the importance of full synergy and complementarity between NATO and the EU in the field of security and defense, a very important element in maintaining the transatlantic unit, the MAE mentioned.
Aurescu expressed his belief that the multiplication of challenges and threats on a global level make it even more necessary to maintain a united approach from the allied states, both within NATO and in other formats in which they participate. Aurescu referred to the importance of maintaining the current approach to Russia, pointing out that a change in this approach can only take place if the Russian side respects the international law and the commitments made. He stated that Euro-Atlantic principles and values should remain the benchmarks in NATO's interaction with other international actors.
In this context, Aurescu emphasized the need to maintain and strengthen the current arrangements in the field of arms control.
Similarly, Minister Aurescu presented the recent developments in the Republic of Moldova and stressed that any evolution towards the settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict must take place in accordance with the internationally recognized borders of the Republic of Moldova and without affecting its European foreign policy vector.
