Just a few years ago, NATO (and EU) membership represented the main strategic goal of Romania’s foreign policy. Now, Romania is hosting the NATO Summit, which represents the most important international event ever organised in my country. The decision of the members of the Alliance in choosing Bucharest as the location of the Summit demonstrates the confidence that Romania gained, in just few years of NATO membership, among the Alliance’s members.
And I, on my side, I am confident that this comes from Romania’s fulfilment of the membership’s responsibilities and from the commitments towards NATO success in operational theatres, particularly in Afghanistan and Kosovo.
As the host country, Romania has a strong interest in having a successful Summit not only from the organizational point of view, but also concerning the political substance. We hope that the Bucharest Summit will remain as a cornerstone in the process of Alliance’s transformation and modernisation and the success of the event depends on the value added by the decisions taken by the Heads of States and Governments on NATO’s future.
The Alliance has been in a permanent process of transformation and modernisation, in order to adapt itself to the new security framework. This process involves capacity building getting the Alliance both the necessary tools to respond to new security threats and challenges as well as to take advantage of new opportunities. I am confident that NATO’s Heads of States and Governments will take in Bucharest decisions significantly contributing to the success of the Alliance’s current missions, to the completion of the transformation process and to the enhancement of the Alliance’s partnership network around and beyond Europe.
I extend, to all Summit’s participants, my warmest welcome in Bucharest and my wishes of success in the working sessions of the Bucharest Summit.
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