A NATO Ministerial Summit in Bucharest
Foreign Ministers from nine NATO members have met in Bucharest at the initiative of the Romanian and the Polish diplomacy.
Valentin Țigău, 09.11.2016, 13:49
On Tuesday Bucharest was the venue for a ministerial meeting bringing together Foreign Ministers from countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The event was also attended by Rose Gottemoeller, former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs with the US Department of State, who is considered an expert in the relations with Russia.
Launched at the initiative of Romania and Poland, the forum is meant to be a platform of cooperation on the issues specific to the region and the initiatives the participating states want to promote within the North Atlantic Alliance. The prerequisites for holding such a meeting were the mutual interests in terms of security shared by the states in the region in accordance with the principles of solidarity inside the Alliance.
Before the meeting, ministers from the nine states of the Eastern Flank had been received by Romanian president Klaus Iohannis; he said the meeting came at an important time for the transatlantic relationship — essential for the European security and the security of Central and Eastern Europe. The countries in the region have a special responsibility in terms of security and stability in the Baltic and Black Sea areas.
On her first visit to Bucharest, Rose Gottemoeller appreciated Romania’s contribution to the missions in Afghanistan in recent years. She also referred to the anti-missile defence system in Deveselu, southern Romania and the fact that Romania has activated a multi-national division in the Alliance’s South-Eastern Command. The dialogue of the NATO official with Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu and Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc highlighted the security challenges in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and the need for stability in the region to be strengthened.
The United States remains par excellence the place embodying freedom at its best, Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc said in a TV show while making a connection between the Bucharest meeting and the US presidential election. According to him, there are no reasons why the strategic partnership with the United States should cease and shouldn’t be reinforced. Political analysts say the Romanian-US Strategic Partnership, Romania’s NATO membership and its effective participation in the European Project are the three main pillars of this country’s efforts in building its security and defense.
