NATO’s eastern flank must be very well protected „by deterrence and defence measures”, and for that to happen we have to strengthen relations between Romania, the Czech Republic and Poland, Romanian Senate Chairman Nicolae Ciuca said on Thursday in Prague at a joint news briefing with Czech Senate Chairman Milos Vystrcil.

„We are in a complicated moment, in a moment of security with multiple challenges, both for the Eastern region and for the entire continent, and I believe that solidarity and co-operation between our countries are very important. We concluded that NATO’s eastern flank must be very well protected by deterrence and defence measures, by our way of understanding the context and by our way of acting and strengthening bilateral, trilateral relations, because we really need these three pillars on the eastern flank: Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland, to contribute to that set of measures to ensure the safety component for the citizens of our countries and to continue to support Ukraine together, so as to guarantee medium and long-term security,” Ciuca said.

He added that political, diplomatic and economic co-operation are very important.

Ciuca also mentioned the importance of April 4, when NATO Day is celebrated.

„Today, April 4, is NATO Day, with all of us celebrating NATO Day. The Czech Republic celebrates 25 years of NATO membership, and Romania celebrates 20 years of NATO membership, but the invitation to join NATO was received in Prague, in November 2002, which binds us in a memory as beautiful and beneficial as possible for our journey.”

AGERPRES