Former Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoană, said on Wednesday that he expects the Alliance summit in Ankara to end with a message of unity, despite tensions between some member states and recent statements by US President Donald Trump.
Geoană explained that the final document of the summit is negotiated in advance and will emphasize transatlantic unity and the strengthening of Europe’s role within the Alliance.
“In the final communique, I saw the draft, it talks about transatlantic unity. It also talks about rebalancing the transatlantic relationship. We need a stronger Europe in NATO, it’s an obvious thing, we don’t need Donald Trump to tell us that we also have to do our job on our continent”, said the former NATO official, in an intervention at Digi24.
According to him, one of the central themes of the summit is the redistribution of defense responsibilities between the United States and European allies, so that this transition takes place in a coordinated manner and without affecting the security of the Alliance.
“Romania behaved admirably”
Mircea Geoană also commented on the information regarding the reduction of the American military presence in Europe, claiming that Romania should not be worried.
“Romania behaved admirably in this episode as well”, said Geoană, referring to the support given to the United States in the context of the conflict with Iran.
He appreciated that President Nicușor Dan is right when he states that there are no indications of a decrease in the American military presence in Romania.
“The Mihail Kogălniceanu base is more important than ever. I see quite optimistically the reconfirmed strategic role of Romania in this new equation”, declared Geoana.
Support for Ukraine and greater defense investment
The former NATO Deputy Secretary General stressed that support for Ukraine must continue and member states must remain prepared in the face of the threat posed by Russia.
Regarding the new objective regarding defense spending, Geoană believes that Romania can respect the commitment to allocate 5% of GDP until 2035, but warns that the challenge will be the efficient use of these funds.
“The question is whether we will be able to invest in what we need, not necessarily what we think we need,” he said.
Geoana showed that the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East are changing the way defense investments are viewed, and Romania must pay more attention to the development of modern military technologies, including in the field of drones, cyber security and defense in the Black Sea region.
In the end, the former NATO official declared himself optimistic about the results of the summit and stated that the Romanian delegation will return with “good news” for the country.
