NATO Secretary General with the President of Romania 🇷🇴 Klaus Iohannis, 28 NOV 2022

Press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, 28 November 2022. Arriving in Bucharest on Monday (28 November 2022) ahead of meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked President Klaus Iohannis for Romania’s strong commitment to the Alliance. The two leaders discussed security in the Black Sea region and the challenges posed by Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. 🗣 | NATO Secretary General: President Iohannis, Dear Klaus, Thank you for the warm welcome. It is really a pleasure to be back in Bucharest for the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. And let me thank Romania for hosting the meeting. And also, let me thank you, President Iohannis for your strong personal commitment to our Alliance, to NATO, at this critical time for our security. You contribute to our shared security in many different ways. Your troops serve in our battlegroup in Poland. You contribute to NATO missions in Kosovo and Iraq. And you also host a key system for NATO’s ballistic missile defence. I also welcome your strong commitment to maintain defence spending above 2 % of GDP. Investing in our defence is essential as we face the greatest security crisis in a generation. Today, in our meeting we discussed security in the Black Sea region, which is of strategic importance for the whole of NATO. And the challenges posed by Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. In response to Russia’s aggression, NATO is reinforcing its presence from the Baltic to the Black Sea. We have set up new battlegroups, including the one led by France here in Romania. Fighter jets from Canada also help to keep your skies safe. And US Patriot missiles boost your defences. This sends a clear message that NATO is here. We will do what is necessary to protect and defend all Allies. Here in Bucharest, NATO Foreign Ministers will address ways to step up our support for Ukraine, as well as other partners facing Russian pressure – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova. As a neighbour to Ukraine, you have proven a generous host to over 1.5 million refugees. You assist with the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to help ease the global food crisis. And you provide significant military assistance to Ukraine. We cannot let Putin win. This would show authoritarian leaders around the world that they can achieve their goals by using military force. And make the world a more dangerous place for all of us. So it is in our own security interest to support Ukraine. So Mr. President, Thank you again and I look forward to our continued cooperation. Thank you so much.