Romania’s objectives at the NATO summit

Romanias Supreme Council of National Defence has analysed and approved Romanias agenda at the forthcoming NATO summit in Brussels

Roxana Vasile, 28.06.2018, 14:26

The Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will be held on July 11 and 12 in Brussels. In the wake of the Summit, Romania’s Supreme Council of National Defence has convened in Bucharest to analyze and approve Romania’s objectives at this high level meeting. According to a communiqué issued by the presidency, the Summit will be an opportunity to firmly assert the allied unity and solidarity and the transatlantic determination in the face of increased global threats.

From Romania’s perspective, the Summit in Brussels will be highly important, aimed to boost the projects of consolidation of the defence and deterrence positions on NATO’s Eastern flank and ensure stability in the eastern neighbourhood, especially in the Black Sea region. Also at the meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defence, the number of armed forces to be made available next year for missions and operations outside Romania’s borders has been approved.

Thus, the Romanian Army will participate in international missions with 2,098 military and civilians, and the Interior Ministry with 932 military and policemen. Without any connection with the allied summit in Brussels, but with a major impact on the very existence of a historical region of Romania, the “Rosia Montana” topic was also on the meeting’s agenda. The Culture Minister has informed the Council members on the stage of the procedure of including the Rosia Montana mining cultural landscape in the Apuseni Mountains, on UNESCO’s world heritage list.

The Presidential Administration has pointed out that the issue of Rosia Montana, as part of the national and world cultural heritage, has constantly been in the attention of President Klaus Iohannis, under all its cultural and social aspects. Under the current legal framework, the Government has the necessary tools and the relevant institutions it needs to manage the whole process of including Rosia Montana on the UNESCO world heritage list. Consequently, in keeping with the law, the members of the Supreme Council of National Defence have taken notice of the Culture Minister’s update on the matter, with the procedure to be further managed by the Government.

We remind you that the steps taken by the Romanian side to bring Rosia Montana under UNESCO protection are unfolding at the same time with the trial between Romania and the Canadian company Gabriel Resources, that would have wanted to exploit the gold deposits in the area by using cyanides.

Given that the project has been blocked, the Canadians are now asking for damages worth 4 billion dollars. For many Romanians, the century-old and well preserved vestiges in Rosia Montana, unique in the world, are much more valuable than the gold underneath, estimated at around 300 tons. Adding to that are believed to be 16 hundred tons of silver and rare ore deposits.