DefMin Les on Mircea Geoana's appointment as NATO Deputy Secretary General: A recognition of Romania's merits

Minister of National Defense Gabriel Les told a press conference in Cluj this Thursday that Mircea Geoana's appointment as NATO's next Deputy Secretary General represents a recognition of Romania's merits and of the Romanian Forces' activity within the Alliance. 

"We cannot discuss now whether Romania will have extra benefits compared to our allies, but the fact that our country holds such a position means a recognition of Romania's merits and of everything the Romanian Army does within the Alliance," Gabriel Les said in response to questions by the journalists about what Romania would stand to gain thanks to Mircea Geoana's new position. 

The DefMin also said that relations with NATO had been very good also up until now. 

"I exchanged messages with Mircea Geoana, I congratulated him, I also did so on social media. You realize that such a position is extremely important for Romania and I congratulate him once again. We have a very good collaboration with NATO structures, and we must work very well together, so far we had a very good collaboration with Secretary General Jens Slotenberg as well," the Minister of National Defense said.

Gabriel Les was on Thursday on a working visit to the Cluj-Napoca garrison and met the personnel of the 317th ISR "Vladeasa" Regiment, the 55th "Napoca" Communications and Information Systems Battalion, the 88th "Ardealul" Maintenance Center and of the "Dr. Constantin Papilian" Emergency Military Hospital in Cluj. He also visited the Command of the 4th "Gemina" Infantry Division.