Deputy PM Ciolacu:Romania must honor its NATO commitments, Patriot missile system to strengthen country's security

Romania must honor its commitments to NATO and its strategic partner - the US, Deputy PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday, adding that the planned purchase of the Patriot missile system will strengthen the country's security. 

"Romania must honor its commitments to NATO and its strategic partner, the US. The purchase of the Patriot missile system will strengthen the security of our country and of NATO's south-eastern flank. It is important that the bill on the purchase of the Patriot missile system, which was adopted by the government on November 8, also clears Parliament this week, so that we are able to observe the calendar negotiated with our partners," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook. 

The Senate Defence Committee meets on Monday at 11:30 hrs to debate the government's Army's endowment bill providing for the purchase of seven Patriot surface-to-air missile systems. 

The government's bill on the Ground-based Air Defence Capability to be accomplished under the key endowment program "Long-range surface-to-air missile system" was registered at the Senate on November 9, with the request to be debated in a fast-track procedure. The bill provides for the purchase of seven Patriot surface-to-air missile systems plus the auxiliary equipment, for a total of about 4.62 billion US dollars, VAT included. Four systems will be assigned to the Air Force and three to the Land Force. 

Chairman of the Senate Defence Committee, Liberal Iulian Dumitrescu, last week expressed concerns at the absence of Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) representatives from the committee's November 14 meeting, when the bill on the missile systems purchase was supposed to be endorsed. Dumitrescu said that the delay of the acquisition "puts at jeopardy" Romania's commitments to its allies. 

The Save Romania Union too accused the PSD-ALDE majority of attempting to block the bill in Parliament by the no-show of its representatives in the Senate Defence Committee and of thus "endangering" the Strategic Partnership with the US. 

Last Thursday, PSD Chairman Liviu Dragnea declared in the Baile Herculane spa resort that the Patriot missile systems acquisition project will clear the Senate on Monday and will reach the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday. AGERPRES .