Romania may trigger Article 4 of the NATO treaty, the country's Foreign Minister Oana Coiu said in an interview with Digi24. She made the comment after a drone briefly entered the country's airspace earlier this morning. According to her, any Alliance ally can request its activation at any time when coordination is needed, BTA reported.
Article 4 states that members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will consult each other when one of them considers that its territory, political independence or security is threatened. Discussions in the North Atlantic Council - NATO's main political body - could potentially lead to some form of joint decision or action. Since NATO’s founding in 1949, Article 4 has been invoked seven times, most recently in February 2022, when Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia requested consultations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
„When Article 4 was invoked during Russia’s initial attacks in Crimea, Romania was among the key countries in the process. In fact, it would have been better for the entire international community to pay more attention to the perspectives of Romania, Poland and the countries on the Eastern Flank; however, we are now at a point where such coordination between allies is ongoing. As you know, NATO yesterday took a clear position on the incidents in Romania and we continue this coordination with our allies both at the military and diplomatic level“, Oana Coiu said today.
Asked what it means that Romania will initiate a diplomatic protest to Moscow, Oana Coiu explained that this is a signal to all international partners.
“This is a diplomatic measure to clarify where we take responsibility – a key point in the talks we are having within NATO and with international partners aimed at strengthening deterrence and defense capabilities on Romanian territory. It is essential for each of our partners to see that we do not take an ambiguous position towards Russia“, added the Romanian Foreign Minister.
When asked whether the US had reacted to the drone incidents, she replied: “Of course, we have frequent talks with our allies in the United States of America. This happens every time. I would like to remind you that after previous incidents, the Merops anti-drone system was deployed on Romanian territory and is integrated into the NATO operational system.“
Regarding the possibility of NATO member states sending additional assistance to Romania, the Foreign Minister noted that in early June, Italy deployed four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft along with a contingent of 180 military personnel.
“Yesterday, a discussion was also held with the British Foreign Secretary. After previous incidents, they continued their contribution to air patrols. Canada, another NATO ally, also maintains a presence. They contribute to security in the Black Sea region“, specified Oana Coiu.
She also noted that the Baltic states and the countries on the eastern flank have also been very clear in their support for Romania. “Hungary was also among the first countries to publicly express support for Romania and will continue to do so“, added Oana Coișu.