Romanian president Nicușor Dan and Spain’s King Felipe VI highlight NATO unity during visit to Cincu military base

Romanian president Nicușor Dan welcomed King Felipe VI of Spain on Tuesday, June 10, at the Getica Joint Training Center in Cincu, Brașov county, during a visit underscoring the close bilateral ties between the two nations and their shared commitment to European and Euro-Atlantic security.

Speaking alongside the Spanish monarch, president Dan praised Spain’s continued role in reinforcing NATO’s Eastern Flank, emphasizing the strategic importance of allied cooperation in the current security climate.

“We are going through an important, yet also challenging time for European and Euro-Atlantic security,” the president said, thanking Spain for its “concrete and consistent contribution” to regional stability through its troops’ deployment in NATO’s Battle Group stationed in Romania.

The two leaders addressed soldiers from several allied nations, including Spain, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, who are participating in joint training activities at the base.

The Romanian president acknowledged their collective efforts in enhancing NATO’s deterrence and defense posture in the Black Sea region, highlighting that “only together will we be more effective and more determined in ensuring a stable security environment.”

Nicușor Dan also highlighted the strong people-to-people connection between the two countries, noting that over one million Romanians live and work in Spain. He expressed gratitude to King Felipe for the Spanish authorities’ ongoing support for the Romanian diaspora.

“Your visit sends a strong message of unity and friendship between our nations,” Dan said, expressing confidence in the continued development of Romanian-Spanish relations.

In his turn, King Felipe VI expressed his gratitude “for the affection and hospitality” of the Romanian side, including to the Spanish military personnel deployed in Romania.

“In a time of so many shifts and uncertainty, the international order is changing, and yet, we, Spain and Romania, are clearly reaffirming our strategic partnership that was established in 2013 and is based on the strongest possible links - our people,” the Spanish King said.

The monarch also referred to Spain and Romania’s shared vision of the European Union, their membership of NATO, and joint deterrence and defense operations, including the Air Policing missions on the eastern flank.

“In this spirit, we’re precisely here in Romania, the country that feels every day the effects of the war in Ukraine, of the Russian invasion - we wish to reaffirm Spain’s determination to continue our support of the Ukrainian people in defending those fundamental principles and values that we all share as Europeans,” King Felipe also stated.