In the context of the war in Ukraine, NATO and the EU have affirmed the firm will to defend the values of humanity on the basis of which they were established, the head of the Defense Staff (SMAp), Daniel Petrescu, said on Tuesday in a message sent on Romanian Army Day, according to Agerpres.

„We are in a year that will remain recorded in universal history as the period in which the Russian Federation unleashed a bloody war against Ukraine. The peace in Europe, which, by the way, was showing signs of weakness, dissipated on February 24, once with the brutal, illegal and unjust offensive actions of the regime in Moscow against the neighboring people. However, it is also the year in which the great contemporary projects, NATO and the EU, affirmed their firm will to defend the values of humanity on the basis of which they were established,” Petrescu declared.

He added that „NATO’s rapid defensive reconfiguration on the eastern flank has led to the strengthening of the deterrence and defense posture in this area of Europe”.

„The response measures of the Romanian Army and the increasing relevance of the NATO presence in our country resulted in the strengthening of the national defense capacity, including the component of increasing the reaction capacity of the national force structure, as well as the strengthening of the allied shield in our country and in the Black Sea region. The results of military cooperation in an allied context, from the last decades, are now visible in the plan of the joint training of the forces and in that of the development of the infrastructure necessary for the preparation for the fight,” Petrescu pointed out.

He affirmed that „we will continue, at an accelerated pace, the consolidation of our own defense capacity, and the allied states will increase the consistency of their forces and capabilities in Romania”.

„We are in full process of putting NATO’s solidarity into practice. The footprint of the allied presence is the new normal of the present and will remain a component of the collective posture for the defense of Romania’s territory, as an integral part of the allied territory,” said the head of SMAp.

Petrescu showed that „the fate of the Army is linked to the fate of Romania”. „The institution of national defense, subordinated exclusively to the will of the people, is fully committed to the sacred mission of guaranteeing and defending the values of the Romanian state,” Petrescu said.

„Every day, the military are engaged in tasks and activities that serve to fulfill this mission. However, there is a day in the calendar dedicated to the institution of defense, in which the active military, as well as their retired colleagues, publicly reconfirm their will to remain closely connected to the fate of the army,” he added.

Agerpres