President Klaus Iohannis told a press conference held in the Republic of Moldova, that given Romania’s membership in NATO, Romania cannot provide „direct military” support to Moldova in the event Russian aggression in the Republic of Moldova, Romania could still help with „equipping” or „improving” the troops.
Asked if Romania could provide a security umbrella for the Republic of Moldova in such a situation, the head of state stated that Romania can provide logistical support.
„I would be tempted to ask you what a security umbrella means, because Romania is in NATO and Moldova is a neutral state, so I don’t see any way to intervene in a conflict, directly, with troops, but we can still intervene to improve the Moldovan troops, to train them, to help them with equipment, as we did in the past too. So, there are many ways in which we can and we do help Moldova”, specified Klaus Iohannis.
Regarding how the security guarantees for Ukraine would work, Iohannis said that these issues are still under discussion and will be debated at the future NATO Summit.
Klaus Iohannis also referred to the accession process of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union, noting that it is a complex process and depends on the sustained effort of the authorities.
„If everyone strives, then it can be achieved in a couple of years, but look, for example, in the Western Balkans, where they have had ups and downs. I very much hope that the administration of the Republic of Moldova will remain on an upswing constantly. I remember what the procedure was like when Romania applied to become a member state and how complicated the negotiations were. We must not have any illusions. These accession negotiations are very complex. From an administrative point of view, sometimes you have the impression that it is over, but they are necessary to guarantee that everyone is on the same level. (…) I really want the accession negotiations to start within a year, and for that we are helping the administration of the Republic of Moldova to prepare for these negotiations. Of course, it depends to a relatively small extent on Romania, it depends on the progress made by the Moldovan administration and how the steps that have been taken are seen in Brussels, but I am optimistic. When the process ends of accession, that is very difficult to evaluate”, said Iohannis.
President Iohannis to receive Civic German award, Franz Werfel Human Rights Award
