Defence Minister’s participation in the Extraordinary Meeting of the NATO Ministers of Defence

Minister of National Defence, Vasile Dîncu, participated in the Extraordinary Meeting of the NATO Ministers of Defence chaired by NATO General Secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, on Wednesday, March 16th, at NATO General Headquarters from Brussels.

The event took place in the context of the war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and focused on the developments of the armed conflict and its impact on the Alliance.

The allies talked about continuing adapting the medium and long-term process of the defence and deterrence posture in response to the new realities of the European geostrategic environment with a view of preparing a consistent decision-making package for the Madrid Summit which will take place on June 29-30.

During the first working session, attended by the Swedish, Finnish, Georgian and Ukrainian defence ministers (via VTC) and the EU representatives, the officials approached aspects related to the conflict from Ukraine and its impact on the security of Alliance and its neighboring partner states as well as the support offered to Ukraine by the allied states, at bilateral level.

In the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war, this working session sent a strong signal on the allied support given to these NATO partners, especially to Ukraine. During the event, minister Vasile Dîncu enumerated Romania’s concerns about the conflict initiated by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, which led to the destruction of the country and the loss of uncountable human lives, at the same time emphasizing the impact of this conflict on regional security. The Romanian dignitary referred to the actions taken by Romania in order to support Ukraine by mentioning the establishment of the logistic hub from Suceava, designated to provide humanitarian aid and offer support to the massive flow of refugees.

The debates from the second working session exclusively took place at allied level and focused on NATO’s medium and long-term adaptation process.

During the session, the Romanian defence minister expressed Bucharest’s firm support to the adaptation and consolidation of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, considering the unprecedented challenges posed to the European security architecture.

In this respect, the official emphasized the need to immediately establish allied defensive operational structures in the Black Sea region, featuring the ones already functioning in Poland and the Baltic states, which would provide for the necessary joint effort in supporting the consolidation of the allied regional posture. Also, the dignitary reiterated Romania’s availability in hosting such an allied structure.

At the same time, the Romanian defence minister stated that he was in favor of the long-term adaptation of the Alliance, which is paramount for the accomplishment of these ambitious goals. In this context, minister Dîncu recalled Romania’s recent decision to increase the defence expenditures from 2% to 2.5% of the GDP.

The Press Office