NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, stated on Thursday, after meeting with President Nicușor Dan, that the Alliance has recently demonstrated, including through concrete actions, its readiness to defend the eastern flank.
Meanwhile, Nicușor Dan tried to convey a message of calm to the population, stating that Romania is „a safe country, even safer” in the context of regional tensions.
NATO "responded quickly and decisively" in recent days
Rutte emphasized that the recent reactions of the Alliance confirm its ability to respond to threats.
"In the last seven days, there have been certain actions that have demonstrated that NATO is prepared to defend the eastern flank (...) Every time it has been tested, NATO has responded quickly and decisively," said the Secretary General.
He insisted that the Alliance remains vigilant and ready to intervene.
"We are vigilant and prepared to defend every inch of the allies' territory. We have vital capabilities to ensure defense, including anti-missile defense systems," Rutte added.
Message for Romanians: "Romania is a safe country"
In turn, Nicușor Dan delivered a direct message regarding the country's security.
"We discussed the security of Romania and the security of the Alliance. And as the Secretary General said, I reinforce for Romanians who are watching us that Romania is a safe country, even safer," the President stated.
He specified that the discussions also focused on strengthening military capabilities on the eastern flank. "We discussed new capabilities for the countries in the eastern flank, so for Romania, within the Sentinel of the East program," said Nicușor Dan.
Romania, a strategic role in the Black Sea region
Rutte highlighted Romania's importance in NATO's security architecture. "Romania has been a consistent ally for over 20 years. Romania plays a strategic role in the Alliance on the eastern flank, including in the Black Sea region. It is a vital region for our common security," he stated.
At the same time, the President of Romania announced discussions on concrete projects in the region.
"We talked about the Black Sea, and NATO will have a meeting on the Black Sea topic and on our security hub project in the Black Sea region, before the major NATO summit in Ankara," Nicușor Dan specified.
Higher investments in defense and the role of the industry
NATO's Secretary General called for increased investments in defense across all member states.
"Romania already spends over 2% of GDP on basic defense and will increase this percentage to 2.5 this year. All allies must do exactly this," Rutte said.
The President of Romania detailed the structure of these expenditures. "We spent 2.2% of GDP last year. In this year's budget, it will be 2.5%, and, very importantly, out of these 2.5%, almost 40% will be for equipment, that is, for defense investments," Nicușor Dan stated.
Support for Ukraine
Both leaders emphasized the importance of support for Ukraine. "Our support for Ukraine must and will continue," Rutte stated.
The President of Romania stressed the strategic dimension of this support. "We reaffirmed our support for Ukraine because it is not about Ukraine, it is about Europe's security. The agreement we had with Ukraine for the co-production of drones, drone countermeasure equipment," Nicușor Dan said.
Hybrid challenges
Nicușor Dan drew attention to the new types of threats. "I spoke with the NATO Secretary General about the challenges in the hybrid area and explained that each of us must do more here," he stated.
He also emphasized the importance of the relationship with the USA. "We are allies when our partner needs it. That's what it means to be an ally," the President said, referring to hosting American defensive equipment.
Rutte coming to Bucharest in May
Finally, Nicușor Dan announced that the NATO Secretary General will visit Romania.
"I invited the Secretary General to the B9 summit in Bucharest, and the invitation was accepted, so we will have Mr. Rutte in Bucharest in May," the President stated.