DefMin Fifor: Romania is the most important security provider in the Black Sea

Defence Minister Mihai Fifor said in Bistrita on Friday that Romania is the most important security provider in the Black Sea area and that this is why the country needs to strengthen its defence capabilities.

The statement was made in response to a question from the press about the Russian Army's newest equipment and the statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin that the anti-missile system would not be no obstacle to the new intercontinental ballistic missile called Sarmat.

"We, as a NATO member country and in our strategic partnership with the United States, are of course very attentive and concerned about what is happening in the Black Sea. We consider that Romania is the most important pillar and security provider in the Black Sea are at the moment, and that is why we are strengthening these capabilities. Of course, I'm not going to comment on what President Putin says or what the Russian officials say. We know that we have a very well designed program to prove that we are ready here, in the Black Sea as a military alliance. All of our capabilities are operational at the moment and, under our major military acquisition programme, we continue to increase the defence and deterrence capabilities of the Romanian Armed Forces in the Black Sea," said Fifor.

He added that "complicated times" justify the allocation of 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for defence spending, giving assurances that Romania is ready to face the challenges of the Black Sea region.

"We are often asked why this effort by the country to allocate 2 percent for the Romanian Armed Forces. Only those who do not want to see very carefully what is happening in the world at the moment do not understand this. We are living in complicated times, what with the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014. Practically, we are bordering on the Russian Federation in the Black Sea and I want to tell you that there is a very intense hybrid war, which Romania also feels, not to mention the cyber war, which is also real. The Romanian Armed Forces are ready to face these challenges and we say that we are doing so well now," Fifor said.

On Friday, Fifor paid a working visit to the 81st "General Grigore Balan" Mechanised Brigade of Bistrita, which is scheduled to deploy about 470 troops this July on a mission in Afghanistan.

The minister was accompanied by Chief of the Land Forces Staff Ovidiu Uifaleanu, and Commander of the 4th Gemina Infantry Division Virgil Ovidiu Pop. AGERPRES (RO - author: Tina Tucui, editor: Karina Olteanu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Rodica State)