International security

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has reiterated Turkey's importance to the joint defense of the alliance, saying a look at the map is enough to recognize the country's value, amid rising criticism of Turkish actions in the media and in Western capitals.

Romania must improve its road and rail network to ensure the efficiency of NATO operations, the former commander of the United States Army Europe, Benjamin (Ben) Hodges, stated in an interview for AGERPRES.

Greece and Turkey need to address their differences on a bilateral level and in a spirit of good neighborly relations, the head of NATO alliance of which both countries are member has said.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was speaking to Greece's Ta Nea daily during an official visit in The Hague.

National Defence Minister Mihai Fifor on Wednesday had a meeting with Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO Allied Command Operations, General Curtis Scaparrotti, to discuss topical matters on the NATO agenda, reads a National Defence Ministry (MApN) release.

Senate President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu stated on Wednesday, within the opening session of the B9 Parliamentary Summit, that Romania feels the need to see that NATO's command structure is better represented in the east of the Alliance.

The national Parliaments of the B9 member countries have to play a specific role in the defence and security area, as institutions with a specific role, Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber Liviu Dragnea stated on the occasion of the B9 Summit at parliamentary level (B9).

Russia vetoed a UN Security Council draft text on April 10 that would have established a new expert body to determine culpability for a suspected chemical attack in Syria.       

The Russian ambassador to Greece, Andrey Maslov, has ruled out the possibility of an armed conflict between Greece and Turkey, pointing out that both countries are members of the NATO alliance.

"I cannot imagine an armed conflict in the Aegean. We are talking about two countries that are members of the North Atlantic Alliance," Maslov told a press briefing in Athens Tuesday.

NATO does not want a new arms race with Russia, the alliance's secretary general has said amid heightened tensions following an ex-spy's poisoning in England.

President Klaus Iohannis conveyed a message on Sunday, on the occasion of celebrating the NATO Day in Romania, in which he stated that the North Atlantic Alliance is our country's "most solid security guarantee."