NATO missile shield concept - a response proportional to threats, Russia's denial attempts are flagrant misinformation

The concept of the NATO missile shield is an action proportional to current threats and fully observes all international agreements, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty included, and any attempt by the Russian Federation to deny this is "a flagrant misinformation" and an attempt to distract attention from the real violation of this treaty by the Russian state, the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) said on Friday.

The Ministry made this statement following consultations held by Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the allies.

"The position expressed by the Russian Federation's Ministry of Defense regarding the NATO missile system - components of which are also deployed in Deveselu - allegedly violating of the provisions of the INF Treaty is completely irrelevant, as the Deveselu missile defense system is not covered by the INF Treaty," the Romanian Foreign Ministry emphasizes.

According to the cited source, the stance of the Romanian Ministry on the NATO ballistic missile defense system, of which the Deveselu Aegis Ashore facility is an integral part, has not changed and can be found in all the final declarations of the allied summits in recent years.

The Foreign Ministry also points out that "the NATO missile-defense system, elements of which are also deployed in Romania, has no offensive capability, and is a purely defensive instrument that is key to ensuring the security of the Euro-Atlantic area."

"We remind that the position of Romania and its allies on the INF is clearly expressed in the North Atlantic Council's Declaration of February 1, 2019," the Foreign Ministry concludes.