Romanian President visits NATO Headquarters
On 19 November 2009, Romanian President Traian Basescu met with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. They discussed efforts in Afghanistan, the NATO’s open door policy and the Western Balkans, as well as the development of the new Strategic Concept.
In speaking to the press after their meeting, the Secretary General thanked the Romanian President for his country’s contributions to NATO operations, particularly in Afghanistan.
“We will very soon take important decisions on the way forward in Afghanistan on strategy and troop numbers,” Mr Rasmussen said, stressing the importance of a strong training mission for Afghan soldiers and police.
The Secretary General also commended Romania for its active contribution to the debate about the future of the Alliance in the context of the deliberations to shape a new Strategic Concept.
On NATO’s open door policy, Mr Rasmussen said that he agreed with the President on the importance of continuing NATO’s open door policy: “My vision is to see all countries in the Western Balkans integrated in our Euro-atlantic structures – in the EU and in NATO,” adding that he hoped one first step towards this would be achieved at the foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels this December.