Romanian PM Says NATO Needs To Redefine Its Role

"Romania is a supporter for the growth of NATO’s role in the east, with focus on the Black Sea area, whose relevance for Euro-Atlantic security is rising (...) Democracy is like rock’n’roll, it is always good when the voices of democracy are strong," Tariceanu said, in the ceremony opening the "Atlanticist Youth Summit."

He expressed hope that, in the summit held in Bucharest, the partners from the western Balkans would be invited to become members of the Alliance, while Ukraine and Georgia would be offered the outlook of a tighter relationship with NATO.

He also expressed hope that Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia would receive positive signals for tighter relations with the North-Atlantic Alliance.

In Tariceanu’s opinion, the enlargement of NATO is not just an instrument for defense and promotion of its values, and the Alliance needs to move to the next level by sending a more powerful message regarding its responsibility as promoter and defender of the values it upholds.

The prime minister spoke of the importance of democratic values, indicating that Romanians have never lost hope throughout all those years of tyrannical oppression, as they continued, like other formerly communist states,  to uphold the principle of liberty.

"The Alliance needs to redefine its role, and the keywords are adaptation, flexibility and vision. Terrorism is the greatest threat to security, especially fundamentalist terrorism. NATO has troops in Afghanistan fighting against Al-Qaeda and the insurgents every single day. Fundamentalism and terrorism thrive on poverty, the violation of human rights, lawlessness and the absence of democracy," Tariceanu said.

He added that the success of NATO actions depends on a solid and efficient partnership between its members, with accession seeking states and with organizations such as the European Union and the United Nations.

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