Romania endorses NATO stance on poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal

Romania stands behind the official stance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the case of the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, Defence Minister Mihai Fifor said on Wednesday. Skripal was the victim of nerve-agent poisoning believed by UK authorities to have been carried out by Russia.

Speaking during a program hosted by local broadcaster Antena 3, Fifor said the attack that took place in the British city of Salisbury “confirms the fact that Russia keeps on playing very aggressively,” adding that he expects to have “ such challenges by the time of the NATO summit.”

“What happens in Great Britain is a very serious thing. (…) Certainly, we are concerned and certainly, we endorse the official NATO stance, because there’s no other option. Besides, the aggressive tone Russia answers on every occasion to statements by NATO member states or NATo itself has become norm. Russia is threatening in its turn. Russia has an extremely tough position,” Fifor said.

The Romanian minister also stressed that “all countries that are on the eastern flank are discussing about the Russian threat.”

“At the Black Sea there is no surprise anymore that everyday we have, let’s say, all kinds of provocations of the Russian Federation. I am not even talking about the hybrid war, the cyber war, electronic war, because we feel them all in Romania, without a doubt. This does not mean that Romania is not ready to face these threats, but we are increasingly concerned,” Mihai Fifor said.

According to Fifor, Romania will advocate for the inclusion of “the Russian threat at the Black Sea and the extremely complex situation” as a separate topic.