NATO, “Ready to Defend the Eastern Flank”

Russia is constantly testing the resolve of NATO member states, but the Alliance is showing that it is determined to defend the Eastern Flank, German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul said today in Bucharest. He also said that Romanian-German economic relations are at a high level but can still be developed, including in the fields of tourism and energy supply. Germany ranks first both in terms of trade with Romania and in terms of foreign investment, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said, after talks with her counterpart in Berlin.

Reporter: German Foreign Minister Johann David Wadephul said that violating the sovereignty of NATO member states is unacceptable and specified that the eastern flank will be defended by allied countries.

Russia wants to test the resolve of the EU member states every day, but they defend their democratic values ​​with caution and determination, which greatly bothers Russian President Vladimir Putin, the German official also said.

Johann David Wadephul: It is good that we are now reactivating monitoring on NATO's Eastern Flank and it is also good that we are further increasing the pressure on Moscow, preparing the next package of sanctions in Brussels. And above all, it is good that Ukraine can always count on our support. Ukraine is in a new terrible winter under war conditions and that is precisely why Putin is targeting energy infrastructure and we must show that we are united on the side of Ukraine, and all EU member states must once again see what they can do, what resources they can allocate to Ukraine.

In turn, the head of Romanian diplomacy, Oana Toiu, thanked for the support that Germany offered for the safety of Romanian airspace and also recalled the economic collaboration between the two countries.

Oana Toiu: Germany is Romania's first trading partner and the first investor. We have over 18 billion euros invested in many leading areas. Together we create and support well-paid jobs, competitive businesses, which create value not only for our countries, but for the entire European Union market, and we want to continue this and increase our ambitions.

Discussions also aimed at intensifying cooperation in the field of tourism, where there is an increase in demand on both sides.

Translated by: Radu Matei