Published: 06.03.2022 – 18:16
French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly visited on Sunday NATO troops stationed in Romania, near the border with Ukraine.
The deployment of NATO soldiers should allow the allies to demonstrate “impeccable unity” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said Sunday, March 6, in Romania.
The Allied commitment is “not offensive, but defensive. The North Atlantic Alliance does not threaten Russia. Europe does not threaten Russia. the base is located near Constanta, in the southeast of the country.
“On the other hand, we must show Russia that our unity is impeccable when it comes to protecting our allies,” the minister continued.
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500 French soldiers deployed
“You are a shield protecting Euro-Atlantic values,” said Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who was present next to him during the ceremony on the airfield of the base, blown by an icy wind, where various armored vehicles and helicopters were installed. warships.
France has rushed about 500 French soldiers since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, accompanied by nearly 300 Belgian soldiers. About a thousand American soldiers were already at the base, sent in February as reinforcements.
“I am very proud that French soldiers are deployed today at this base and under the banner of the Atlantic Alliance, along with Romanian, American, Belgian, Dutch, Italian and German soldiers,” the French minister stressed.
“With this first deployment of NATO’s first echelon rapid reaction force, we are demonstrating the ability of French and allied forces to project their forces at short notice,” she added, as the rotation of transport aircraft continued on Saturday to continue transporting essential equipment to the base located less than 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
“Single and fast” response
The Romanian president, accompanied by his prime minister and defense minister, hailed the “uniform and prompt” NATO response to the Russian attack.
I “thank you for the speed with which you deployed,” Florence Parly later told several assembled French soldiers, saying she was confident she “could count on your vigilance, your professionalism,” repeating a message to the armies President Emmanuel Macron urged them to “the necessary restraint during a possible intervention” to avoid incidents.
The deployment of French units “is also a concrete manifestation of France’s desire to deploy NATO forces in Romania as a framework country, as the President of the Republic has announced since January,” the minister told the military.
This Franco-Belgian deployment is taking place as part of the NATO Response Force. But in January, French President Emmanuel Macron announced he was ready to deploy French soldiers to Romania on a permanent basis in what he called an “eFP” (enhanced forward presence) deployment, modeled on the Alliance’s clear desire to “work » over the strengthening of the southeastern flank of NATO.
With this in mind, France is also mobilizing air resources by conducting air patrol operations in the region: fighter jets take off from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier plying in the Mediterranean Sea and planes taking off from France.
“NATO is in the process of finalizing a decision” on the possible deployment of eFP in Romania, the minister told the press, adding that the alliance’s ministerial meeting is scheduled for 16 March. “We are ready, we are here,” said the minister, to take charge of this force.
With AFP