Romania to intensify Black Sea security talks, boost military procurement

Following a meeting convened by president Klaus Iohannis, the CSAT decided that Romania should focus on strengthening its armed forces, increasing the number of Allied exercises on its territory and intensifying dialogue with Turkey, Bulgaria and Georgia regarding the security of the Black Sea, the defence council said in a press release on Tuesday.

Council members also approved updates to the "Army 2040" programme in order to increase the budget for military personnel needs, reconfigure endowment programs, restore stocks, modernise the defence industry and better train qualified military personnel.

President Iohannis reiterated Romania's plan to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as of next year.

“It is vital that we invest in our own defence forces because, unfortunately, we see that there are still states tributary to an outdated mentality that use armed force to threaten the sovereignty of an independent country, defying the entire rules-based international system,” Iohannis said on Tuesday during a live-streamed ceremony celebrating Armed Forces Day.

The plan to increase defence spending was first announced by Iohannis in March, following a CSAT meeting convened after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Romania started to allocate 2% of GDP to defence in 2017, complying with a NATO spending target established at the 2014 summit in Wales. The country, which joined NATO in 2004, has said it plans to spend a total of 9.8 billion euro ($9.67 billion) until 2026 to boost its defence capabilities.

On Monday, Romania's defence minister Vasile Dincu submitted his resignation, claiming he cannot work with president Klaus Iohannis anymore. Prime minister Nicolae Ciuca took over the interim job for 45 days, with negotiations for a new appointment underway within the coalition government.

($=1.0132 euro)