All the current threats and challenges show that peace and security are not guaranteed, this is why rearmament is not a choice, but a necessity, President Nicusor Dan said on Thursday at the NATO Industry Forum (NIF25), mentioning that Romania is more defended than ever and ready to assume an increasingly prominent role on the Eastern Flank and for its own security.

„All the threats and challenges we are confronted with today – from the war in Ukraine to cyber threats and a hybrid war – bring us to mind that peace and security are never guaranteed. This is why rearmament is not a choice, but a necessity. It is not a choice of NATO or Romania or the other NATO member states, but a necessity,” President Nicusor Dan said at the NIF25 – NATO’s Defence Industry Forum.

He said that „the Alliance’s role is to protect peace,” and the responsibility is to deter any potential aggression and ensure that the armed forces are „capable and well prepared to counter threats.”

„We have a continuation of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine, right at Romania’s border, for this and for the other allies on the Eastern Flank, but also for NATO as a whole, Russia’s aggressiveness beyond Ukraine’s border, through recent violations of the allied air space, as well as through the intensification and diversification of hybrid attacks, it represents an additional proof that we need to do more in order to be ready to defend ourselves,” the president said.

Nicusor Dan added that the Alliance’s commitment is to collective defence.

„We must stay united and assume a position of strength through a solid and credible posture. The Alliance’s commitment is to collective defence, as it is stipulated in Article 5 of the Treaty. We have full confidence that NATO and the allies on both sides of the Atlantic are committed to defend every centimeter of the Alliance. We, the European allies, must take on greater responsibilities in defending the continent and in order to boost the military and defence capabilities and for that, it is absolutely necessary to strengthen the national and European defence industry, as well as the transatlantic one,” the president highlighted.

He showed that the Romanian defence industry has „a strong tradition.” „It may have been neglected in may other places in the past years, however, there is an extraordinary potential, we have companies which have all the conditions, utilities so that, under effective management, to be used to meet the future needs of increasing the defence industrial production in Europe,” the president added.

The head of state also mentioned the NATO Summit in Hague, where it was decided to significantly increase investments for defence, in order to reach the target of 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product by 2035.

„Romania has 2.24 in 2025 and will spend this money and maintain the upward trend directly correlated with the security threats. However, this decision represents only a fist step in order to reach our goal. We must have money and we must spend it in order to produce military equipment. Moreover, a key element for ensuring a credible deterrence and an effective defence is to work together, producing in cooperation equipment which the allied armed forces need, collaborating between states, between governments and the private sector for the defence industry, which fosters innovation and capitalizes on emerging technologies,” the head of state also said.

He mentioned that robust supply chains and the interoperability of the systems used must be ensured together with partners.

„Another objective is to develop military mobility on the North – South axis of the Eastern Flank, as part of a coherent and integrated approach, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, so necessary in the current security context, to strengthen dual-use capabilities: railways, port facilities on the Black Sea and the Danube, as well as other elements of critical infrastructure,” Nicusor Dan underscored.

In this context, the president also showed that the role of this forum has an enhanced relevance for bringing together all the factors involved in this process: NATO, allied states, the industry and facilitating direct dialogue between the Alliance and the industry sector.

„Only by working together, we will identify the best solutions for our common challenges,” President Nicusor Dan also said. AGERPRES