President of Romania Klaus Johannis announced his candidacy for the post of General Secretary of NATO.
In the statement made on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his country to enter NATO, Johannis said: “I am fully responsible for this candidacy on behalf of Romania, and this decision is based on the results of Romania, my experience during two presidential mandates , my deep understanding of the problems facing NATO, Europe and especially our region, and my firm commitment to the main values and goals of NATO. “
Having emphasized that NATO membership gives his country the “most powerful guarantees of security in history”, Johannis added: “These security guarantees have never been as important as today. We have been experiencing the most difficult times in recent decades in terms of security, But we Romanians feel safe because we are NATO members. “
He noted that during his stay in power, the set was achieved by NATO – to spend at least 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) on the defense, and as a result – 2.5 percent.
A stating that NATO needs to upgrade your mission, the president noted:
“Eastern Europe makes a valuable contribution to discussions and decisions within the framework of NATO. With a balanced, strong and effective representative office of this region, the Alliance will be able to make the optimal decisions that meet the needs and interests of all member countries. For all these reasons, I decided to enter into the fight For the post of General Secretary of NATO. “
Thus, Johannis became an opponent of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte for the post of General Secretary of NATO.