Deveselu

Leaders of all parliamentary parties on Tuesday are to sign a political agreement ensuing that at least 2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, GDP, will go on the defence budget by 2017.

The move follows the initiative of Romania's new President, Klaus Iohan, who has set increased defence spending as a priority.

The missile defence base in Deveselu will become operational this year, as the works falling under the responsibility of the Romanian partner are nearing completion, Defence Minister Mircea Dusa said in an interview for dcnews.ro.

Photo credit (c) NICOLAE BADEA / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The missile shield in Deveselu is a concern for Moscow as it is a guarantee that Romania will not return to another influence sphere, said, on Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu.

Frank Rose, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Defense Policy with the U.S. Department of State, said on Tuesday at the 2014 Multinational Ballistic Missile Defense Conference organized in Bucharest that the United States could not have dreamed for a better partner than Romania.

State Secretary for Strategic Affairs Bogdan Aurescu on Tuesday reiterated Romania's interest that local firms get involved in the setting up of the Deveselu Base.

Aurescu attended the 2014 Multinational Ballistic Missile Defence Conference organized by the U.S. Agency for Ballistic Missile Defense and hosted by Bucharest.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta declared that Romania is a NATO member state, wishing to play a balancing role in the region, and as such it cannot accept threats.

The US Navy will formally commission its new missile defence base in southern Romania on Friday, according to media sources.

The base in Deveselu is one of the two European land-based interceptor sites for a NATO missile shield, a scheme which is viewed with deep suspicion by Russia.

Secretary of State for Strategic Affairs with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) Bogdan Aurescu attended on Tuesday the meeting of the Romania - US Joint Committee that manages the implementation of the Agreement between Romania and the United States on the activities of US forces stationed in Romania, with the Romanian official taking this opportunity to say that the steady pa