Basescu: We can expect more NATO troops in Romania

Newsroom 15/04/2014 | 13:14

President Basescu said on Monday while visiting the American destroyer USS Donald Cook that ‘ the presence of the American ship shows that the NATO member states are together when there are security risks’.

Asked if Romania can expect to have an increased presence of the NATO troops in Romania, Traian Basescu said ‘Yes”. The president said that Romania supports the third level of sanctions at the address of Moscow if the Russian Federation invades Ukraine.

“I paid a symbolical visit meant to show our respect for NATO Allies (…)  The American and French ships, by their presence, do nothing else but send the signal of stability to the region and, at the same time, show that NATO members prove solidarity with each other when there are security risks. I can tell you that after the Donald Cook ends its mission in the Black Sea, a United States frigate will come to replace it in the Black Sea. Therefore, we will have a continuous presence that will lead to increased level of inter-operability between the Romanian Military Fleet and ships of the United States 6th Fleet. Generally speaking, the ships coming to the Black Sea, that stopover in Constanta Port are ships part of the United States 6th Fleet, the Mediterranean Fleet”, the president stressed.

The USS Donald Cook warship is a multi-mission destroyer designed to destroy enemy aircraft, missiles, submarines and surface ships and to carry out offensive actions against the enemy through the employment of long range anti-shipping missiles, land attack missiles and naval gunfire. Before arriving in Constanta, the USS Donald Cook carried out several drills off the Italian coasts and then entered the Black Sea under NATO sponsorship.

A Russian fighter plane flew at low-level altitude repeatedly over the last few days in proximity to the US Donald Cook, but the plane was not carrying any ammunition. Still, the Pentagon claimed the action was “provocative and unprofessional”.

“This provocative and un professional Russian operation contradicts national procedures and previous agreements regarding the interaction between our two armies”, colonel Steve Warren declared after the Pentagon released the information regarding the incident.

At the time the Russian plane was sptted, the USS Donald Cook was patrolling the Black Sea’s west region.

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