President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday said Romania must intensify efforts to strengthen the reserve of military personnel, revitalise the national defence industry and modernise the transport infrastructure.

„The defence of our citizens is one of the fundamental obligations of the Romanian state. However, the safety of the people cannot be guaranteed without an army equipped with modern technology. Since 2023, Romania has increased the allocation for Defence from 2% to 2.5% of the GDP, that is for equipping the Romanian Army, for motivating, training and improving our military and for increasing the level of interoperability with allied forces. At the same time, we must intensify our efforts to strengthen the reserve of military personnel, to revitalise the national defence industry and to modernise the transport infrastructure,” Iohannis told the „ROMANIA – NATO, 20 years” event, held at the National Military Centre in Bucharest.

Iohannis mentioned that Romania, together with NATO allies, will continue to offer „multidimensional political and practical support” to Kyiv.

„An important dimension of this support will be the training of the Ukrainian military, including future F-16 pilots, at the centre we host in Fetesti. We will coordinate within the European Union to support the European path of Kyiv and Chisinau and we will advocate for substantial assistance to Ukraine at all levels. Romania also remains a firm supporter of the transatlantic link and the intensified cooperation between NATO and the EU, in the spirit of mutually beneficial synergy of efforts and complementarity,” Iohannis said.

Also attending the „ROMANIA – NATO, 20 years” event, organised by the National Defence Ministry, are: Senate President Nicolae Ciuca, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu, political and military personalities from Romania and from member states of the North Atlantic Alliance.

AGERPRES