The German government reportedly rejected on July 5 a suggestion made by Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu to send permanent troops to the territory of Romania.

A German Defense Ministry spokesman said Germany believes it "does not have to" to send a Bundeswehr brigade to Romania because it maintains military cooperation with Lithuania within NATO, while France cooperates with Romania, G4media.ro reported. 

German defense minister Boris Pistorius promised Lithuania last week that 4,000 German troops would be stationed there.

Romanian PM Ciolacu said on July 4, during a joint press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, that he wants German troops in Romania to help secure NATO's eastern flank.

Marcel Ciolacu was asked at the press conference what he expects in terms of strengthening NATO's eastern flank in the context of the Vilnius Summit and after Germany promised that 4,000 troops would be placed in Lithuania. "I hope that on Romanian territory, as soon as possible, we will have permanent German soldiers. It is obvious that it will be a long-lasting conflict," he said.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Jörg Hüttenhölscher | Dreamstime.com)