NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Romanian president Klaus Iohannis visited the Mihail Kogălniceanu Military Base in Constanta county on Friday, February 11, to greet the US troops deployed to Romania. (Photo source: Presidency.ro)

About 1,000 American soldiers have been deployed to Romania. The first convoy of military equipment entered the country on the evening of February 9, at the Nădlac border point, in Arad country, and arrived at the Kogălniceanu base on Friday morning.

In a joint press conference with president Iohannis, Jens Stoltenberg said Romania is a "strong and committed NATO ally" and thanked it for its significant contributions to the Alliance.

"Romania does not stand alone. Fighter jets from Germany and Italy are here to protect and to defend all Allies. And to help to keep your skies safe," the NATO chief said.

"As we speak, one thousand US troops are deploying to this base, bringing the total number of US service members to almost two thousand at this base. This is a powerful demonstration of transatlantic unity. And North America's ironclad commitment to the defence of Europe," he added.

Jens Stoltenberg also said that the Black Sea is "a region of vital strategic importance" to NATO and reiterated that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a defensive one, with a primary task to preserve peace.

"We do that today by making sure that there is no room for misunderstanding or miscalculation about our commitment and readiness to protect Romania and all other NATO Allies. This is even more important in light of Russia's unjustified military build-up in and around Ukraine, including in the Black Sea region," he said at the Romanian military base.

In his turn, president Klaus Iohannis said this visit happened at a crucial moment for the Euro-Atlantic security.

"We are witnessing a sharp deterioration in security near Ukraine and the Black Sea area, near the eastern flank of the Alliance. The current crisis is not a regional one but affects the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic area. Your visit takes place just as a thousand US troops arrive in Romania. These two events are a clear proof of NATO and US support for Romania's security in the current context of tension and instability," the Romanian president stated, according to Biziday.ro.

He also said that the diplomatic dialogue should continue with Russia in order to de-escalate the situation and reiterated "Romania's support for the integrity, sovereignty and independence of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine and their right to build their future on European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations."

Both the NATO Secretary General and the Romanian president also reconfirmed the defensive role of the anti-missile system in Deveselu, Romania. "Russia's rhetoric is false. The shield is part of a larger frame of defensive missiles, we have nothing to hide," Iohannis said, according to G4media.ro.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com