Defence Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca participated on Wednesday, November 18th , in the International Conference Roadmap to Warsaw Security Forum, which was organized online by Casimir Pulaski Foundation and German Marshall Fund of the United States, in cooperation with NATO.

The Romanian defence minister discussed with his Estonian and Portuguese counterparts about the European security architecture as part of From East to West to South Panel: Reflecting on the Security Architecture of Europe, moderated byZbigniew Pisarski, Chairman of Casimir Pulaski Foundation.

During the talks, minister Ciuca supported the importance of the permanent adaptation to the geostrategic evolutions, including from the perspective of ensuring energetic security within the Euro-Atlantic space: Energy is part of the elements of power and can be used, by certain state actors, as a complementary instrument in order to reach the geopolitical goals. At the same time, the energetic corridors have a decisive role in ensuring resilience on medium and long-term.

When asked about the major procurement programs initiated by MoND, the Romanian minister reviewed the status of the acquisitions of military equipment, giving examples the high-tech programs HIMARS and PATRIOT, and emphasizing the steady political commitment of Romania with regard to the allocation of 2% of the GDP for defence expenditures, starting 2017. At the same time, minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca reminded that Romania is an important security and stability provider in the region, with a major role on the Alliance Eastern Flank by means of its contribution to NATO's forward Presence.

The Romanian defence minster also mentioned that, today, we are in a geo-political reality characterized by deeply changed regional and global security coordinates, taking into consideration the COVID-19 global pandemics. In this context, it is necessary to cooperate, based on the common strategic values and interests, considering the future emerging challenges . Moreover, it is necessary to increase resilience and complementarity to ensure defence and security of the Euro-Atlantic area, including by a solid contribution to the consolidation of the trans-Atlantic link, minster Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca reiterated.

The Press Office