Radio România Internațional

Tag: the eastern flank

  • Romanian Naval Forces assume command of the NATO Group in the Mediterranean Sea

    Romanian Naval Forces assume command of the NATO Group in the Mediterranean Sea

    An additional three single-command F-16 Fighting Falcon jets of the Royal Dutch Air Forces landed on June 19 at the 86th “Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociorniţă” Air Base  in Fetești (southeast). The aircraft will serve the Training Center established as a result of the collaboration between the Romanian and Dutch Defense Ministries, in partnership with Lockheed Martin and with the support from Denmark, the coordinator of the F-16 International Coalition alongside the Netherlands.

     

     

    After nearly 6 months away from home, the 3rd tour of the Military Contingent of the Republic of North Macedonia handed over command. The transfer of authority took place in Caracal (southern Romania), on June 19, 2024, in the presence of representatives of the South-East Multinational Division, the South-East Multinational Brigade and other training structures.

     

     

    Some 50 multinational representatives from NATO’s command structures participated in the Council meeting charged with planning the training program and military exercises of allied operations, as well as in the Exercise Budget User Group over June 18-20, as part of key training events hosted by the Southeast Multinational Corps Command in Sibiu (center). The purpose of these meetings was to identify resources, synchronize and sequence collective training and exercises.

     

     

    Also with respect to NATO, the Training, Simulation, Evaluation and War Games Center of the Naval Forces hosted, over June 10-14, the 48th edition of the NATO MAREVAL maritime evaluation course. Organized by the Allied Maritime Command in Constanța (southeast), the course was attended by 22 servicemen, including 4 trainers from Spain and Germany, 10 Romanian servicemen and 8 servicemen from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece and Ukraine. Participants developed their knowledge of NATO standards, criteria and assessment procedures used in the maritime field. At the same time, the participating staff familiarized themselves with planning exercises and evaluation activities, in compliance with NATO standards.

     

     

    In other news regarding the navy, Romania is taking command of a NATO naval group for six months. The “Vice-Admiral Constantin Bălescu” 274 mine and net sweeper set sail on June 20 from the Constanța Military Port, headed for the Mediterranean Sea to join the permanent NATO mine-fighting naval group. In a military ceremony scheduled for June 28, in Salamis, Greece, the command of the naval group will be taken over by Romania, for the second time in 4 years. The “Vice-Admiral Constantin Bălescu” 274 mine and net sweeper is commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Bogdan Iosif. It has a crew of 85 Romanian and foreign servicemen, and for the next six months it will lead a permanent NATO naval group, including military watercraft from Italy, Spain and Turkey. By participating in this mission, the Romanian Naval Forces contribute to the fulfillment of our country’s commitment to ensuring regional security and strengthening international cooperation with a view to maintaining stability in the Mediterranean. (Constantin Herțanu & VP)

  • Romania and security guarantees

    Romania and security guarantees

    President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday said there is no direct threat to Romania and that there is no signal or indication there is any danger of attacks or other unwanted events targeting Romania. It is very important to understand we are not alone, we are supported by our allies, and we are well prepared for any scenario, the head of state added.

     

     

    “There is no direct threat. From the information I have, I can tell you Romania is a safe country. Romanians should not be afraid, but we must always be prepared for unexpected events. There is no need to panic or think that Romania is somehow under threat. Today, Romania benefits from the most important security guarantees we ever had”.

     

     

    Klaus Iohannis expressed skepticism regarding the possible delivery of a Patriot system to Ukraine, saying it is a matter that must be discussed with army experts and decided in the Supreme Defense Council. The delivery of a Patriot defense system to the Ukrainian Armed Forces is still a delicate issue, far from being resolved. Klaus Iohannis:

     

     

    “It’s not simple. I strongly refute the idea that Romania should remain without anti-missile defenses and without anti-aircraft systems. So, to the extent that in the end, Romania does deliver a system, it should receive something else instead, otherwise no action will be taken”.

     

     

    Also on Wednesday, the Chief of General Defense Staff, General Gheorghiţă Vlad, said Romania must accelerate its efforts to endow the defense forces in the context of security developments in the region. The Ministry of Defense is considering a possible escalation of current military conflicts, the General said, drawing attention to the need to increase the army’s response capacity by means of new military equipment. Gheorghiţă Vlad explained:

     

     

    “Our estimates account for future developments and scenarios, some of which indicate the possibility of escalation of conflicts, including those of a military nature. To diminish this possibility, we continue to rely on the deterrent effect generated by a robust defensive capacity, both nationwide and within NATO. This is why we will step up our efforts to strengthen national security as well as NATO’s deterrence and defense postures”.

     

     

    We are in a time of peace, but the current reality is marked by complex security challenges, General Gheorghiță Vlad went on to say. In this context, Romania focuses on intensifying multinational and joint training, as well as on increasing the interoperability of structures and capabilities, both in the Black Sea region as well as on the entire allied Eastern Flank. Right now, investments in new technology and equipment remain a top priority for the Romanian Army, the official concluded. (VP)

     

  • Romania – a key partner supporting NATO’s deterrence and defense efforts

    Romania – a key partner supporting NATO’s deterrence and defense efforts

    Stepping up NATO’s military presence on the Eastern Flank is a key element of Allied deterrence. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its subsequent invasion of Ukraine in 2022 are events that have prompted NATO leaders to rethink their defense strategies. Romania holds an important place within the Alliance, a true anchor in the southern part of the allied eastern flank and a riparian of the Black Sea, a region with strategic relevance for European and Euro-Atlantic security. At the NATO summits of Madrid and Vilnius, in 2022 and 2023 respectively, Romania raised the issue of consolidating NATO’s presence in the Black Sea region.

     

     

    NATO’s advanced posture currently includes 8 multinational battle groups, provided by framework nations and supplemented by other allies. They are deployed in the 3 Baltic States, in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, thus covering the entire eastern flank. In Romania, the battle group is led by France, whereas the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are contributing troops. Currently, the group is at battalion level, but it is expected that, starting next year, it will grow to a brigade totaling 4,000 soldiers. Also in Romania, NATO also has several command structures: the South-East Multinational Corps in Sibiu (center) and the South-East Multinational Division in Bucharest, but also the South-East Multinational Brigade in Craiova (south) and the NATO Forces Integration Unit in Bucharest.

     

     

    Romania is a key partner in the development of the Alliance’s deterrence and defense efforts on the Eastern Flank by operationalizing the anti-missile shield at Deveselu (south) and by strengthening security in the Black Sea, jointly with its allies. A good example in that regard is the beginning of construction works for the expansion of the “Mihail Kogălniceanu” military base in Constanța County (southeast), which will be able to accommodate 10,000 NATO soldiers. The Romanian government pledged to invest 2.5 bln EUR in this project. Romania currently hosts around 5,000 foreign troops.

     

     

    The need to establish a permanent NATO naval group in the Black Sea region has been increasingly discussed of late. Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey must identify a common solution for ensuring security in the Black Sea. The model of the Baltic Sea, which practically became a so-called ‘NATO lake’ after the accession of Sweden and Finland, can be a good example in that respect. Strengthening relations between NATO and Ukraine or even accepting Ukraine as a NATO member can open up new possibilities for strengthening the Black Sea region.

     

     

    The fact that our country has the largest land border with Ukraine has impacted Romania’s role and position at NATO level. With respect to support for the neighboring country, Romania might offer Ukraine one of its Patriot air defense systems. It is a hypothesis advanced by president Klaus Iohannis following his visit to the USA. The decision can only be taken after consulting the Supreme Defense Council. Romania has four such Patriot systems, one of which has already been field-tested, and the other three are in advanced stages of operationalization. Should Romania press forward in that direction, it would be on these three systems that would reach Ukraine. “It is a rather intense discussion about who can provide Ukraine with Patriot systems. Romania has such systems at its disposal and Ukraine has approached us. President Joe Biden brought this up and I said I’m open to it. I will have to further discuss this back home, in the Supreme Defense Council, to see how we can solve the problem, what we can offer and, obviously, what we can receive in return because it is unacceptable that Romania remains without anti-aircraft defense”, president Iohannis said. (VP)

  • February 14, 2017 UPDATE

    February 14, 2017 UPDATE

    SENATE– In a plenary meeting on Tuesday, the Senate of Romania unanimously endorsed an emergency decree that repeals the controversial amendments to the criminal codes, which generated the current political crisis in Bucharest. The draft was sent to the Chamber of Deputies. Amendments can be submitted by Friday, and a plenary session of Parliament is due early next week to vote on the document. The Government building was once again picketed last night by over 1,500 protesters. For two weeks, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the country and abroad have been demanding the resignation of the government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania. They accuse the Cabinet of amending the criminal codes in order to exempt influential politicians and local and central administration officers from criminal liability. Concurrently, several hundreds of supporters of the Government request the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis, who they claimed has stepped out of his role as a mediator by joining in the anti-government protests. A referendum regarding the fight against corruption has been initiated by the President, and was approved on Monday by the Senate. Well have more on this after the news.



    BUDGET– The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has voiced concern after discussing in Bucharest with PM Sorin Grindeanu and the Finance Minister, Viorel Stefan, about the state budget bill and the social security budget bill, sent to the President for promulgation. The head of state sees the 2017 state budget as problematic, because the budget deficit risks exceeding 3%. In his opinion, the budget bill relies on overestimated revenues and very high expenditure. In exchange, the president of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, said the 2017 state budget is sustainable and it should come into effect without any delays. On Monday, the European Commission estimated that this year Romanias budget deficit would account for 3.6% of the GDP, which might lead to the initiation of the excessive deficit procedure. On the other hand, the economic growth forecast for Romania was improved to 4.4%, which is nonetheless below the 5.2% rate estimated by the Government.



    JUSTICE – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest has postponed for March 28 the trial of the case in which the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and head of the ruling Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, is charged with instigation of abuse of office. According to the National Anti-corruption Directorate, Dragnea ordered the fictitious employment of two members of his party with the Directorate General for Social Assistance and Child Protection in Teleorman County in the south. The two were paid from public funds although they were actually working for the Social Democratic Party alone. Last year Dragnea received a suspended two-year prison sentence, for having attempted in 2012 to rig a referendum to dismiss then-president Traian Basescu.



    FIGHTING EAGLES – The 500 US soldiers of the First Battalion “Fighting Eagles on Tuesday arrived at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in south-eastern Romania. They are equipped with tanks, armoured vehicles and self-propelled mortars. During their nine-month stay in Romania, the US military will take part in the drills, planned jointly with the Romanian Ground Forces. In the opinion of the US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, the presence of the US forces in Romania is a confirmation of the strong Strategic Partnership between the two countries. In turn, the Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, has said that apart from taking part in missions, the decision to increase defence spending to 2% of the GDP, according to a NATO objective, is further proof of Romanias firm commitment towards its international partners. The deployment of US troops in Romania is meant to strengthen NATOs eastern flank.



    TENNIS – Romanias womens tennis team will play against Great Britain at home on April 22 and 23, in the play-offs for Fed Cup World Group II. The drawing was held in London on Tuesday. Last weekend Romania was defeated in Bucharest by Belgium, 3-1, in the first round of World Group II. The national team now has to play to keep its spot in the second group. Fed Cup is the most important international team competition in women’s tennis.(Translated by Ana-Maria Popescu and Diana Vijeu)