Romania has the possibility to request the activation of Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, following a series of incidents in which Russian drones penetrated the national airspace, said the interim Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Țoiu.
She explained that invoking this article remains an option available to any allied state when additional consultations within the Alliance are needed.
Romania has shot down three drones that entered the national airspace in the last three days. Monday morning, a fourth drone briefly entered Romanian airspace in the Sulina area, but returned to Ukrainian territory before it could be intercepted.
Why the Russian Ambassador was summoned
Oana Țoiu explained in an interview with Digi24 that the decision to summon the Russian Federation's ambassador to Bucharest represents an official protest measure, used in the past after similar incidents.
"Summoning the Russian Ambassador to Bucharest is a protest measure by Romania. We did this after the drone incident in Galați and in other instances where Shahed-type drones, belonging to the Russian Federation, illegally and without authorization entered our airspace," said the Romanian diplomacy chief.
She specified that this action sends a clear message to both Moscow and Romania's partners. "It is also a diplomatic measure to clarify where we see responsibility, and this is important even in the conversations we see and have within NATO and with international partners to enhance Romania's deterrence and defense capabilities. It is very important for each of our partners to see that we do not have an unclear attitude towards Russia," said Țoiu.
What does activating Article 4 mean
Asked if Romania could request the activation of Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, Oana Țoiu replied that this possibility exists. "Romania has this option. Also, Article 4, when invoked in the first attacks Russia had in Crimea, Romania was one of the key countries in this process," she said.
Oana Țoiu emphasized, however, that Romania is already in constant contact with allies, both on the military and diplomatic fronts.
"Any of the allies can request the activation of Article 4 at any time when coordination with the allies is needed, different from what is done constantly. Obviously, we have these discussions both on the military and diplomatic levels daily within NATO," said Oana Țoiu.
Support from NATO Allies
The Romanian diplomacy chief stated that Romania already benefits from the support of allies to strengthen the defense of the eastern flank.
As an example, she mentioned Italy, which sent four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft and a contingent of around 180 military personnel at the beginning of June for air policing missions. Furthermore, the United Kingdom continues to participate in these missions, and Canada contributes to maritime security in the Black Sea region.
According to Oana Țoiu, Romania has received public messages of support from NATO, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, as well as from Portugal, the Baltic states, Hungary, and other allies. She also mentioned that Romania currently has the MEROPS radar, developed by the USA and integrated into NATO's operating system after previous drone incidents.