All current threats and challenges show that peace and security are not guaranteed; therefore, armament is not a choice, but a necessity, Romanian President Nikusor Dan said today at the NATO Defense Industry Forum, in which he participated together with the Secretary General of the pact, Mark Rutte, reported the Agerpres agency, quoted by BTA.
The NATO Secretary General is on his first official visit to Romania since taking up this post. Yesterday he had talks with the Romanian government, and today he is participating in the NATO forum.
The event brought together around 900 participants from 26 NATO member states and partner countries, as well as over 300 companies from the defense industry.
“All the threats and challenges we are currently facing - from the war in Ukraine to cyber threats and hybrid warfare - remind us that peace and security are never guaranteed. "That is why armament is not a choice, but a necessity," the Romanian president said at the forum, adding that Romania is more protected than ever and is ready to take on an even stronger role on NATO's Eastern flank, as well as for its own security.
Nikușor Dan pointed out that Romania has allocated 2.5 percent of GDP for defense in 2025 and this trend of increasing spending will continue.
„A key element to ensuring reliable deterrence and effective defense is to work together, to produce the equipment that allied armed forces need, to cooperate - states, governments, the private sector - for a defense industry that promotes innovation and implements new technologies“, said the Romanian president.
He pointed out that “NATO's role is to defend peace“, and its responsibility is to deter any potential aggression and to provide armed forces that are capable and prepared to respond to threats.
The Romanian president also mentioned the concept of collective defense.
“(…) The alliance's commitment is to collective defense, as provided for in Article 5 of the treaty. We have full confidence that NATO and allies on both sides of the Atlantic are committed to defending every centimeter of the alliance“, said Nikusor Dan, quoted by Agerpres.
Last week, the Romanian Defense Ministry announced that the United States would withdraw some of its soldiers from Romania. One of the brigades stationed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta will return to the United States and will not be replaced. The news has caused some concern in Bucharest. The US Army in Europe said in a statement that the brigade's return "is not a US withdrawal from Europe, nor a signal of a weaker commitment by NATO to Article 5," a statement from the US Army in Europe quoted by Reuters said.
The Romanian president said at the NATO Forum in Bucharest that Europeans must take greater responsibility for the continent's defense and increase their military and defense capabilities. In this context, according to Nikusor Dan, “it is absolutely necessary to strengthen the national and European defense industry, as well as the transatlantic“.
Nikusor Dan recalled that the Romanian defense industry has a strong tradition, which may have been neglected in recent years, but has exceptional potential.
The Romanian President called for the development of military mobility along the North-South axis of NATO's Eastern Flank as part of a connected and integrated approach from the Baltic to the Black Sea, which is so necessary in the context of the current security environment. Nikusor Dan also spoke about strengthening dual-use infrastructure - railways and port facilities on the Black Sea coast and on the Danube River, as well as other elements of critical infrastructure.