Never in Romania’s „troubled” history has national security been more robustly guaranteed than now, the deputy secretary general of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mircea Geoana said on Wednesday in an interview for the AGERPRES National News Agency, write Agerpres.
He said that the NATO Summit in Vilnius is one with a strong transformative effect, the most important transformation being the one regarding the defense plans, which would be operational by the end of this year.
„Never in the troubled history of our country have we had national security guaranteed more robustly than now,” the deputy secretary general of NATO emphasized.
Mircea Geoana stated that the decision of the North Atlantic Alliance regarding the allocation of at least 2% for Defense can be a chance for the revival of the industry in this field for Romania and the region of which it is a part.
„For Romania and for our region – a chance for the revival of the Defense industry, for more investments in research, development, innovation for dual-use technologies, young entrepreneurs, innovators who can start an interesting business, with a market that it’s also very interesting,” he explained.
The deputy secretary general of NATO also spoke in the interview about the regional training hub for F-16 pilots that will be built in Romania, together with the Netherlands and other international partners, and will be open to Ukrainian pilots, but also about the relationship of the North Atlantic Alliance with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
AGERPRES: Mr. deputy secretary general, we are at the end of an extremely important summit. What are, in your opinion, the results for Romania?
Mircea Geoana: It is a summit with a powerful transformative effect. All the decisions we have taken have a profound element of transformation in them, which is good news for Romania as well, very good news for the entire Alliance. First, the transformation of our defense plans. I haven’t done something so deep and complete in 40 years. It is the most important transformation in the way we defend our territory, in which we deter potential adversaries and it is very, very good news. For Romania, which is on the Eastern Flank, which also has a very interesting geography on the Black Sea, between the Balkans, is close to the Mediterranean, it is very, very good news. Transforming what it means to invest in Defense and the defense industry. Another transformation – minimum 2% of GDP for Defense. For Romania and for our region – a chance for the revival of the Defense industry, for more investments in research, development, innovation for dual-use technologies, young entrepreneurs, innovators who can start an interesting business, with a market that is also very interesting. The transformation of our relations with Ukraine into a NATO-Ukraine Council and with a much clearer accession perspective for Ukraine. The transformation of the relationship with our partners, starting with the Republic of Moldova, with Georgia, with Bosnia, but also with those in the Indo-Pacific area. I would say that in two exciting days, with many negotiations, with a lot of substance, we can say that we are leaving Vilnius with the feeling of having participated and having contributed to a transformative summit and, as I was talking with the American president and other friends, we are already thinking about the Summit in Washington next June.
AGERPRES: You are talking about those regional defense plans. Concretely, what do they mean and when could they become operational?
Mircea Geoana: Obviously, many details are sensitive and secret, we cannot talk too much about them, but in essence it is about the allocation of more military forces from NATO, all NATO countries will contribute to these plans with more equipment, more multi-domain operations, and air, and land, and maritime, and cybernetic, and space – very interesting -, pre-positioning of several pieces of equipment, joint exercises, in a much more sustained and much more robust logic. The ambition of our military leaders, because now the politician has decided, approved, is that by the end of 2023 these plans start to become operational. Obviously, it is a period in which we have to work, it will not all happen overnight, but we are optimistic that nations will begin to allocate the resources that the plans call for from every ally and every ally, from the American ally, the most robust, still very present in Europe, until a more recent ally, let’s say Finland or/and Sweden, each will have a very clear plan, knowing exactly what they have to do, in what calendar, under what conditions, with what resources, extraordinarily good news for Romania. Never in the troubled history of our country have we had national security guaranteed more robustly than now.
AGERPRES: There is the prospect of a hub aimed at training F-16 pilots in Romania as well. Do you think it is possible for this to happen starting this year?
Mircea Geoana: It is an initiative that we encourage and applaud. The Danish and Dutch allies came up with this initiative and to this initiative they bought several countries, including Romania. Romania also has the advantage of geography, being a close and neighboring country to Ukraine, it is easier to do these trainings. It is also good news for the Romanian pilots, because we do not have so many F-16s and they are recent. For other allies, for Ukrainian pilots it is a very good thing. Obviously, the Dutch and the Romanians will work together with other allies on the details regarding the calendar and logistics of this operation. I would not give a precise date, but I think it is a matter that will take place in a very accelerated calendar because the needs are here and we need to move as quickly as possible.
AGERPRES: You are talking about a transformation of the relationship with the Republic of Moldova. What exactly are you referring to?
Mircea Geoana: I mean that NATO recognizes that the Russian Federation has this brutal and illegal war against Ukraine, but it also exerts pressure through diversified means against other NATO partners – Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina. I led a meeting of the NATO foreign ministers with the three partner countries and, if you notice in the final statement here from Vilnius, there is a robust paragraph related to the Republic of Moldova for the first time. This makes me happy and we will continue to support the Republic of Moldova. He has been a partner with us for 30 years, with NATO, he is a joint partner of NATO and the European Union. We have sent to Chisinau a team of top professionals on resilience issues, who will provide opinions and recommendations for the authorities in Chisinau, in order to have a more integrated, more modern, more robust vision of its resilience. Obviously, we respect the constitutional neutrality of the Republic of Moldova, but the fact that the moment is approaching when the accession negotiations of the Republic of Moldova to the EU will begin, as well as Ukraine’s, we hope also Georgia’s, is an element that we very, very support a lot. It is clearly a transformation that does not come so much or exclusively from our side, it comes from Chisinau, which in a kind of strategic awakening to a much more brutal reality realized that being somewhere between the zone of Russian influence and the West it is not a comfortable situation, it is risky and that neutrality does not mean being weak militarily. That is why we will continue to support the Republic of Moldova. I repeat: in full respect for its constitutional neutrality.
