President Nicușor Dan declared, in a press conference held Thursday evening in Warsaw, that there are no problems with “elements of a nuclear nature” being hosted on the territory of our country.
Nicușor Dan made this clarification referring also to the current “nuclear umbrella” that NATO provides to Romania.
“No problem”
“From the moment Romania joined NATO, it is protected by the NATO nuclear umbrella, provided by the USA. This does not imply the presence of elements of a nuclear nature on Romania's territory. In the medium future, there is no question of nuclear elements being hosted on our territory”, declared Nicușor Dan.
Answering a new question related to France's offer to a number of European countries, including Romania, for them to participate “in French deterrence exercises” and to allow “the temporary deployment of some elements of the strategic air forces in allied countries”, Nicușor Dan said that any “exceptional elements” that appear in the relationship with France will be communicated.
“It's a relationship that comes from a long time ago, we have French soldiers in Romania, we are grateful for that, it's a relationship that is developing and when there are exceptional elements that go beyond the military sphere, they will be publicly communicated,” stated Nicușor Dan.
In a statement made on Thursday at noon, President Dan specified that Romania has a strategic partnership with France that will be developed, but did not offer an answer, for the moment, to France's invitation to enter under its nuclear umbrella.
“Romania, like all NATO countries, is under the NATO nuclear umbrella offered by the US. As a NATO member country, Romania is a party to the decisions, the programs with a nuclear component within the alliance. Romania is covered, it is under a nuclear umbrella,” said Nicușor Dan.
Macron's project
The debate over the extension of the French nuclear umbrella is not new, but it has become more important in the face of cooling transatlantic relations and Washington's demands that Europe ensure its own security.
At a submarine base in Brittany on Monday, Emmanuel Macron spoke more clearly of that intention, announcing that his country would increase its nuclear arsenal and strengthen its deterrent capabilities.
As part of the new nuclear strategy, Paris will allow the deployment of its nuclear aircraft in allied countries and its partners will be able to participate in French nuclear deterrence exercises, Reuters, Le Monde and AP wrote.
