Romanian PM backpedals on military chief’s claims: ‘We will not engage in any war’

Romania “will not engage in any war”, said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in an attempt to ease concerns following Lieutenant General Gheorghiță Vlad’s statement that Romanians should brace themselves for a potential conflict.

Ciolacu’s response came in the wake of Lieutenant General Gheorghiță Vlad, the new Chief of Defence Staff, warning in a Free Europe interview that Romanians should prepare for the possibility of war, mainly if Russia succeeds in Ukraine.

“Let’s stay calm, Romania will not enter into any war”, said Ciolacu.

Vlad expressed concerns over potential escalations in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policy, highlighting the Republic of Moldova as a probable target, with tensions extending to the Western Balkans.

In light of these concerns, Vlad proposed the introduction of voluntary military service for individuals aged 18 to 35, for men and women.

Emphasising the importance of “preparing the population for potential wartime scenarios, ” he underlined the deficit caused by the abandonment of mandatory military service in Romania and across all NATO countries.

Addressing the context of an election year, the prime minister stressed the need for a red line on certain issues that should not be exploited for political gain.

A proposed bill on voluntary military service has already been submitted to Parliament. Gheorghiţă Vlad believes it will be discussed “with priority” after this election year.

(Cătălina Mihai, Sebastian Rotaru | Euractiv.ro)

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Bulgaria, Romania, Greece ‘mini Schengen’ would be illegal, says Denkov

Removing borders between the three nations would go against EU legislation, and their governments have no intention of starting official discussions of a zone without border control because it would be illegal, said Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov on Thursday.