NATO: Romania to benefit from even stronger security

Romania already benefits from a strong set of measures to consolidate its security on the ground, at sea and airborne, said General Philip Breedlove, the supreme commander of the NATO forces in Europe – SACEUR. There is already quite a large contingent of Marines at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base, which was recently increased by 175, the US has sent the USS Cook ship to the Black Sea, and AWACS flights have been organized, the General explained during a press briefing on Wednesday after NATO decided to strengthen the collective defense in SE Europe. This means that Romania's security would even strengthen further, said the NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu. She added that Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) flights over Romania and Poland would be more frequent during this period. The new ally moves, including ships, planes and troops would happen in a 'matter of days', said the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and are all defensive, mean to insure the allies of the commitments to defend the area. However, the only way to solve the Ukraine crisis is a political one, NATO sources have said. editor@romania-insider.com