Romania’s Southern, "protected from ballistic missile attacks"

NATO's decision to declare as functional the interim capability of missile defence ensures the citizens of the Member States that the North Atlantic Alliance fulfils its objectives, President Traian Băsescu said after he attended the North-Atlantic Council in Chicago.

The southern of Romania is already protected against any possible ballistic missile attacks, following the decision of the NATO operationalization of the first phase of the missile shield, said the Head of State.

He explained that the missile defense system protects the strategic objectives and communities located in the territories of NATO countries and noted that the system is a defensive one.

Romanian President stated that our country will continue to develop the system in partnership with the USA.

"Romania will be completely and permanently protected only after the entry into service of the system components shall be placed on the territory of Romania.

"Until then, as I have said, we are on a variable geometry of the protection system, but there will be no moment today where even southern Romania not to be protected," said Traian Băsescu.

The Alliance must be prepared to cooperate with Russia in a transparent manner, but the missile defence system development must be carried out without preconditions from some third countries, also said the President Traian Basescu.

"Romania supports the total transparency of information in relation to the Russian Federation, in order to create reliable condition.

"At the same time, Romania rejects any solution whereby a third party outside of NATO could raise issues of legitimacy, or to set up conditions related to our right to implement this protect system of our citizens and the territory of Romania, in a world that often has accents of insecurity," added President Traian Băsescu.

Translated by

Denisse-Meda Bucura

MTTLC, Bucharest University