About Silence, Geography and the Design of Romania's Critical Interests

Necessary partner, Ally, Strategic Partner, Member State. Concepts that we must understand in their proper sense, prioritize them, without fanfare, without noise, in relation to our essential national interest, to our profound European interest and, of course, maintaining a strong attachment to Euro-Atlanticism especially or precisely when it seems to be unraveling.

I observe many voices proclaiming a vocal positioning of Romania on the topic of the noisy debate regarding the hypothesis of a rupture of the Euro-Atlantic connection, voices that demand we choose otherwise history will pass us by.

I believe we have demonstrated, however, that we know how to make our history and still a good one for us since, in the most adverse conditions, we managed to unite a nation and maintain a large state in this complex and fragmented area of Europe.

Those who pull out from the attic the theses of self-flagellation with the supreme emphasis that Romania is a partner in which one cannot trust because it has deviated at times in history, are profoundly mistaken. We have "deviated" because we adapted out of necessity to the contexts created by other great powers, in order to pursue our critical survival interests. We were forced into the wars of others and accepted this to survive, and we turned our weapons in these wars of others also to survive.

We have consistently contributed to the European project, quietly, without fanfare in the last 19 years. And we have massively helped Ukraine, also quietly, and all because it is in our vital interest of survival.

Over 30,000 Romanian soldiers have seen Afghanistan in a long war that was not ours, but we did it out of a critical national interest, that of entering the Euro-Atlantic family where we found security, prosperity, and freedom.

Somehow, our silence and our particular geography as a border state or nation at the confluence of powers and civilizations are condemned to go hand in hand, with effective results for the particularities of Romania.

This does not mean that we are sitting with one foot in two boats. Our founding parents chose long ago the western direction of the country. And today’s population supports it in a proportion of 90%. I believe we have earned the right, having survived here for 2000 years, maintaining as a key and unique element of our identity a superb Romance language, to decide the nuances and particularities of our design strategy, quieter and less noisy, of the European and Euro-Atlantic strategic orientation. An orientation that targets the most profound national interest of having security above all, as a fundamental condition for freedom and prosperity.