President Klaus Iohannis presented a “decalogue” on his plan for the future of NATO in an editorial published by Politico on Tuesday, after officially announcing his candidacy for the head of the military alliance.
Iohannis's plan to head NATO PHOTO Presidency
“For 75 years, NATO has successfully deterred aggression and ensured peace in the Euro-Atlantic area, while supporting democracy and freedom in Europe and North America. NATO has been instrumental in protecting and promoting our security interests and our shared values - those of democracy, individual freedoms and the rule of law – as enshrined in the North Atlantic Treaty. Moreover, its gravitational pull has led to successive – and successful – waves of expansion, underscoring its continued relevance to all who wish to live in freedom and security.” stated Klaus Iohannis at the beginning of his exposition, published in Politico, entitled “The President of Romania: A vision for the future of NATO.”
The head of state continues, claiming that “solidarity, unity and cohesion are the cornerstones of NATO”, these being adapted to an ever-evolving environment thanks to decades of significant transformation and adaptation. And “the transatlantic link is and will continue to be at its core, underpinned by the ironclad commitment enshrined in the collective defense clause of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty,” Iohannis added.
President Klaus Iohannis emphasized that “we are currently facing threats and challenges from all directions”, also referring to Russia's war in Ukraine. “Cu the stronger Europe is within NATO, the safer the entire Alliance becomes“, Iohannis added, stating that the recent accessions of Finland and Sweden “they proved the vitality of NATO” and that “our door remains open“.
“Terrorism, pervasive instability, growing strategic competition and advancing authoritarianism all defy NATO's interests and values. The malign actions of states and non-state actors alike have a disruptive effect on the internal fabric of our societies. Meanwhile, the erosion of the arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation architecture we have been building for years further undermines our strategic stability.” the head of state also stated.
According to Iohannis, to cope with “for this broad spectrum of threats and challenges, NATO must be properly equipped”.
“The primary purpose of the Alliance is to ensure the collective defense of all Allies by fulfilling three main tasks: deterrence and defense, crisis prevention and management, and security cooperation. As such, based on the ongoing political and military adaptation, we must make NATO even stronger.” Klaus Iohannis also points out in the cited article.
The Decalogue proposed by Klaus Iohannis for NATO, “to achieve this”:
- “First, we will accelerate the achievement of the Alliance's three main tasks. We will strengthen deterrence and defence, in line with the Madrid and Vilnius decisions, and adapt our multi-domain posture, including military mobility, to the complexity of today's environment. Power and deterrence go hand in hand, and strengthening the former will fuel the latter. Currently, our eastern and southern borders are most exposed to threats, and they must be strengthened accordingly and in their entirety. In addition, we must not forget the North Sea and the Western Balkans, as their importance to our security is undeniable. In the future, we will intensify cooperation with our partners, building a more ambitious partnership agenda. Those who are vulnerable and at risk need concrete and timely results. Those in our southern neighborhood need our involvement, support and constant dialogue. And our like-minded partners – primarily those in the Indo-Pacific – will be the first to work with to support international law and the rules-based order. We will then further develop crisis prevention and management as tools to promote security and stability in regions of strategic interest to the Alliance.
- Nothing is more important today than ensuring that Ukraine wins its existential struggle, and we can do that by providing all the necessary support, however long it takes. We also have a moral, political and strategic obligation to ensure that Ukraine steadily moves forward on its path to future NATO membership as well as EU membership.
- We must improve interoperability and rapidly develop a strong defense industrial base across the Alliance. This would serve the complementary objectives of restocking, increasing our deterrence and defense capabilities, and providing assistance to Ukraine. We will also encourage a stronger and more capable European defense industry that is complementary and interoperable with NATO.
- While we have lagged behind in defense funding, benefiting from what we thought was an eternal peace dividend for many years, this is no longer possible. We must all do our best to reach the minimum of 2% of GDP for defense spending as soon as possible and invest at least 20% in major equipment. Adequate funding must also be results-oriented and accompanied by efficiency gains.
- As the threats we face today transcend the military dimension, we must ensure stronger resilience for the Alliance and its members by countering hybrid and cyber threats and protecting critical infrastructure.
- As a stronger alliance is one where unity, solidarity and the transatlantic bond work in parallel, mutually reinforcing, we will focus more on political consultation and coordination. This will include input from all relevant NATO bodies, based on a strengthened dialogue between the political and military structures.
- We can and must do much more to strengthen the NATO-EU strategic partnership. The natural affinity between these two organizations and the multitude of interests we share compel us to strengthen the dynamics of our relationship, relying on the right combination of high-level engagement, institutional cooperation and dialogue.
- Facing the reality of emerging and disruptive technologies, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, NATO can only stay ahead of them by accelerating its digital transformation and increasing investment in innovation. However, it must do so while addressing climate change and its security implications. We need to significantly improve our cyber defenses, which will add even more strength to our posture. And as a values-based Alliance, we must invest seriously in all components of the human security agenda, keeping dignity and inclusion at our core.
- As an important complement to the Alliance's deterrence and defense posture, we must also strengthen NATO's key role as a forum for consultation, coordination and training in arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.
- The continued adaptation of our Alliance must be accompanied by an introspective look at our own working methods. As the main promoters of NATO's agenda, it is the Allies who will decide on new ways of conducting deliberations and preparing decisions, while ensuring a balanced geographical representation,” stated Iohannis, adding that the time has come to prepare NATO for the future.
The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, announced on Tuesday that he is entering the race for the headship of NATO, as a person from Central and Eastern Europe is needed for the position of Secretary General.
