DefMin Ciuca attending meeting of NATO defence ministers

Romania's Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca is taking part February 17-18 in a virtual meeting of NATO defence ministers. Discussions on the first day of the meeting - chaired from the NATO headquarters in Brussels by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg - focused on the "NATO 2030" agenda, as well as the implementation of the collective deterrence and defence posture, fair burden-sharing and the transatlantic security, according to the Romanian Defence Ministry (MApN). The virtual meeting provided an opportunity for the first attendance of a NATO meeting by the new US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin. According to a MApN press statement, Ciuca voiced Romania's support for the continuation of the "NATO 2030" process and highlighted Romania's commitment to secure defence spending in line with specific decisions and requirements at NATO level. Ciuca also reiterated Romania's support for deepening the process of adapting and consolidating the NATO's deterrence and defence posture in line with the medium and long-term requirements of the security environment. During a special session, with the participation of Finland and Sweden, both NATO partner countries, and of the High Representative of the European Union for European Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borell, common security challenges and threats were highlighted in order to identify solutions for their efficient management, including in the development of NATO - EU cooperation. Ciuca underlined the fundamental role of the transatlantic relationship for European security and defense and highlighted the central position of the security aspects regarding NATO's eastern flank for NATO's priority agenda. AGERPRES (RO - author: Andreea Rotaru, editor: Antonia Nita; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)     Photo source: Nicolae Ionel Ciuca / Facebook