Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan met on Wednesday, at Victoria Palace, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, with whom he discussed concrete ways to strengthen the security of Romania, the Eastern Flank and, implicitly, the Alliance.
Rutte is making his first visit to Romania since his appointment.
"The two officials discussed the current security situation in the context of the war in Ukraine and the concrete ways to consolidate the security of Romania, the Eastern Flank and, implicitly, the Alliance as a whole, including against the backdrop of recent decisions regarding the repositioning of some American troops," the Government informed in a statement sent to AGERPRES.
The Prime Minister welcomed the Alliance's commitment to strengthening the defense and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank, through initiatives such as the Eastern Sentinel, aimed at increasing the degree of vigilance in this part of Europe "exposed to drone incursions or other types of threats" from Russia.
"Secretary General Mark Rutte reassured the Romanian side that collective defense according to NATO Article 5, along with the presence of allied troops, the initiatives to strengthen the Eastern Flank contribute to protecting Romania. Added to this is the Alliance's increased attention to the Black Sea region," the statement said.
The Prime Minister informed the NATO Secretary General about Romania's priorities regarding ensuring national and Euro-Atlantic security and defense, reiterating the commitment to fulfilling the assumed responsibilities, including by increasing defense spending.
"Prime Minister Bolojan emphasized that the Romanian Government's objective is to modernize military capabilities and relaunch the Romanian defense industry, in which sense the SAFE Program will be used. He informed that the list of investment projects is being finalized and will be presented to the European Commission by the end of November," the press release reads.
During the discussions, issues related to continued support for Ukraine and, respectively, the Republic of Moldova were also addressed.
"The two senior officials evoked the importance of organizing, in Bucharest, the NATO Defense Industry Forum, an opportunity not only for Romanian companies, but also for those from allied countries to jointly identify new initiatives to modernize the defense industry," the Government also informs.
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