Romania and security on NATO’s eastern flank

The Romanian navy forces play a crucial role in ensuring security on NATOs eastern flank.

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Ştefan Stoica, 16.08.2023, 14:00

For the second consecutive year, Navy Day, the celebration of the Romanian naval forces, was held in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The war at the border with Romania, the enhanced strategic importance of the Black Sea and security on NATOs eastern flank were emphasized in the speeches of the high-ranking officials, who attended the ceremonies in Constanta. According to President Klaus Iohannis, Romanias security has been strengthened and efforts to consolidate the Alliances structures on the countrys territory, especially the NATO battle group established in 2022, will continue. Romania, the head of state said, plays a very important role in the Black Sea and, alongside its NATO partners, is a deterrence and defense force on the eastern flank. Klaus Iohannis: „The Romanian Naval Forces have contributed significantly to the improvement of regional, European and Euro-Atlantic security. The missions carried out by our allies and partners within NATO and the European Union, in order to make territorial and international waters safer, are proof of that”.

In his turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that the government he leads will allocate the necessary funds for the modernization of the naval forces. Marcel Ciolacu: „As a prime minister of Romania, my duty is to ensure the necessary resources for the equipping and modernization of the Romanian Naval Forces. In this respect, the budget allocation for defense has increased as of this year to 2.5% of GDP. We will maintain this level in the years to come.”

The former head of the Romanian Army General Staff, Nicolae Ciucă, now a political leader and speaker of the Senate, said that the Black Sea area has become a hotspot of the world and an area of ​​great strategic importance for the North Atlantic partners. The security of these waters ensures the stability of the entire region and turns Romania into an important security provider, Ciucă also said.

The Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, pointed out that the war in Ukraine shows just how important it is for Romania, a country with access to the Black Sea, to have the capabilities to protect its territorial waters and its exclusive economic area. The Alliance, Tîlvăr also said, shows that it is united, that the transatlantic ties are solid and that the commitment assumed under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is unshakable.

The head of the Naval Forces General Staff, Vice Admiral Mihai Panait, recalled that, this year, the Naval Forces have resumed their military presence in the Mediterranean Sea, after a two-year break, which shows that the Romanian Naval Forces and the Romanian Army are security providers both in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea. Interior minister Cătălin Predoiu said that Romania, a border country of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance, carries out, with professionalism, the responsibilities it has as a member of these organizations which are vital for the prosperity and security of the country.