Iohannis, at NATO:Two important things achieved: operational command centre and improvement of multinational brigade

AGERPRES special correspondent Florentina Peia reports: President Klaus Iohannis stated on Thursday that Romania has achieved two very important things at NATO's Summit in Brussels, namely an operational command centre and the improvement of the multinational brigade's statute.

"Ever since 2016, from the Warsaw summit, we have been trying to consolidate the Eastern Flank, our attempt was made alongside the others in the Eastern Flank. (...) This year, in this demarche of strengthening presence on the Eastern Flank, we have achieved two very important things: a three-star command centre - an operational command centre, in between the lowest tactical level and strategically the highest. We believe we will eventually have, when the centre is completed, around 400 officers from all NATO countries who want to be with us there. We have obtained an improvement, an upgrading of the multinational brigade statute that we set up, which has acquired a permanent statute," the head of state told a press conference at the NATO seat.

Klaus Iohannis explained that as far as the operational command centre is concerned, bilateral talks will be held.

"We have a lot of work, as the people who are due to participate, the officers who will come to this command centre, are assigned based on bilateral discussions. We will further talk to each and every ally, we will present the opportunities and we believe that just as we have for example managed with the multinational brigade, in record time to have a very very good participation, we will also succeed with the command centre, but things are just getting started," he showed.

According to the president, a third very important result has been that an entire NATO session was organised upon Romania's initiative, namely the one dedicated to the Black Sea, also attended by Georgia and Ukraine.

"Overall, NATO's posture was strengthened at this Summit. We have a series of beautiful results both as regards the command structures at NATO level in general, and as concerns the troops assigned and finally the money," Klaus Iohannis affirmed. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Bogdan Gabaroi)