Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday said a substantial and balanced consolidation of NATO’s eastern flank is urgently needed against the background of the present security situation, which he described as ‘particularly concerning’. The Romanian official made the statement after the talks he held in Bucharest on Thursday with his Estonian counterpart Alar Karis. Iohannis also said he would present these priorities of Romania’s at the upcoming NATO summit in Brussels. The Estonian president, who had earlier paid a visit to Chisinau, underlined that more actions are needed on NATO’s eastern flank, due to Russia’s aggressive behavior. He said the Republic of Moldova must be helped in this ‘terrible crisis’. Also on Thursday, Iohannis held talks in Bucharest with the Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez. High on the agenda were the refugee crisis, the impact of the crisis in Ukraine, mainly from the energy point of view and its implications for the region’s security. Romania and Spain have convergent opinions over the importance we should attach to developing the energy transport infrastructure, the connection between the member countries, increasing production and storage capabilities – the head of the Romanian state said. In turn the Spanish Prime Minister said the economic effects of the war in Ukraine are severe. We’ve all condemned this invasion said Sanchez adding the package of sanctions against Russia will continue to increase. The Spanish official also met his Romanian counterpart Nicolae Ciuca and both appreciated the joint NATO-EU response to the crisis in Ukraine and the importance of solidarity with the states dealing first hand with the refugee crisis.
