Dancila: Romania remains firmly committed to promise to allot 2 pct of GDP for Defence

Romania remains firmly committed to the promise of allotting 2 pct of the Gross Domestic Product for Defence, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stated on Thursday, at the exhibition "We stand together: Romania and the United States - 15 years in NATO" event organized by the US Embassy in Bucharest. "Romania remains firmly committed to the promise of allotting 2 pct of the GDP for Defence. Romania remains firmly committed to remain an ally who leaves no-one behind," stated the head of the executive, emphasizing that "In all theaters of operations - Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans - Romanian servicemen were lauded for courage, professionalism, and solidarity with the other allied troops," and added that "today, NATO remains the main guarantor for the collective defence of its members and for the security of the trans-Atlantic area". "That 2 pct of the Gross Domestic Product, which the Government of Romania is allotting for the third consecutive year for Defence, it doesn't mean just an effort of this nation, it means long-term strategic thinking, it means investment, it means an effort to return to the national defence industry a sum that is consistent enough so that we again become a force in this area too, that of the national defence industry," Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Fifor stated. "The American presence in Romania is not only an element of ensuring stability and security in this complicated area of the world, I am also thinking of the Black Sea. I would like to emphasize the fact that the American partner has proven, over time, that together with us, with the Romanian Army, with Romania, we can be a powerful force in this area, main providers of security," the Deputy PM emphasized. Mihai Fifor recalled that Romania has in the theaters of operations over 1,000 servicemen and, in this context, also spoke of the 30 Romanian servicemen that died in missions. The US Ambassador in Bucharest, Hans Klemm, also spoke of the Romanians who died in military missions, mentioning that Romania is the fourth country by number of servicemen sent to Afghanistan. 15 years ago, Romania became a very important member of NATO, besides the fact that it became a valuable strategic partner for the US. (...) Romania is one of the few NATO members that reach the goal of allotting 2 pct of the GDP for Defence. The US is very grateful, Hans Klemm also said. The exhibition "We stand together: Romania and the United States - 15 years in NATO" is open until the middle of next month, at the National Library, and presents photographs from the missions of Romanian servicemen in Afghanistan, but also from joint military and medical exercises. The exhibition also features a placard inscribed with the names of the Romanian servicemen that died in theaters of operations and the date at which they perished.AGERPRES(RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Razvan-Adrian Pandea, editor: Maria Voican)