Romanian President Traian Basescu, who spoke to The Associated Press in an interview yesterday, said he fears that neighbouring Moldova is “in great danger.”
Mr Basescu said Mr Putin’s priorities “seem to be connected to the point of contact between the European Union and NATO.” He said Ukraine and Moldova were “a priority for Vladimir Putin, who wants to rebuild the Soviet Union.”
Russia has 1,500 troops stationed in the separatist republic of Trans-Dniester since 1990, when it broke away from Moldova, fearing that country would reunite with Romania. Trans-Dniester is not internationally recognized but is supported by Russia.
The European Union yesterday slapped a travel ban on 21 Russian and Crimean officials after Crimea voted to split from Ukraine and join Russia. Basescu said the EU was planning further sanctions later this week — ones he called “extremely severe” — that would freeze the assets of Russian business people in the EU, stop financial exchanges and energy trades and halt arms sales to Russia.
Romania is one of the EU’s 28 nations.
The Romanian leader, who leaves office after 10 years this year, ruled out a wider war in Europe, saying that neither Russia nor NATO wanted a full-scale conflict. He said there was still a risk of political instability in the region because of possible fallout from the sanctions.
- “Many regional governments and European governments have to see whether they themselves can put up with the (EU) sanctions (on Russia),” he said.
http://www.todayonline.com/world/europe/putin-creating-black-sea-barrier-says-romanian-president
18/3/14
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FACT SHEET: Overview of NATO and Bilateral Reassurance Measures in Romania ...The White House.(Office of the Vice President)....
ReplyDeletes a result of Russia’s occupation and attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory, the United States has taken several immediate steps to demonstrate our continued commitment to Article 5 collective defense and reassure our NATO allies, including Romania, who are closest to the crisis. The United States and NATO are committed to maintaining an augmented, persistent forward presence in Central and Eastern Europe through at least the end of 2014.
New U.S. Measures:
Maritime Deployments to the Black Sea: In early April, the United States deployed the USS Donald Cook to the Black Sea where the Cook conducted operations to improve interoperability, increase readiness, and develop professional relationships with Allies. The Cook conducted presence operations and a port visit in Constanta, Romania, as well as a passing exercise (PASSEX) with the Romanian Navy.
In late April, the USS Taylor, a frigate and our contribution to the Standing NATO Maritime Group, was deployed to the Black Sea where Taylor conducted bilateral operations with Romania and Georgia, including port visits to both countries.
The USS Vella Gulf will soon enter the Black Sea to conduct port visits and combined maritime training with Allied naval forces.
Air-to-Air Refueling Missions: Since mid-March, the United States has been flying refueling missions in support of NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) flights over Poland and Romania.
NATO Response Force (NRF): The Department of Defense is exploring options for increasing the readiness of its U.S.-based, NRF-committed Brigade Combat Team.
Enhancements to Previously Planned U.S. Operations:
USS Truxtun: The USS Truxtun entered the Black Sea through the Turkish Straits on March 7 to conduct a port call in Constanta, Romania and a PASSEX with Romanian and Bulgarian naval forces. Truxtun extended its stay in the Black Sea until March 21 to conduct a port visit in Varna, Bulgaria, hold an onboard maritime planning conference with Bulgarian and Romanian officers, and conduct a second PASSEX.
U.S. Ongoing/Steady State Measures:
There are approximately 1,000 U.S. troops in Romania, including Marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers...................http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/21/fact-sheet-overview-nato-and-bilateral-reassurance-measures-romania
21/5/14