President Traian Basescu underlined on Friday that the anti¬missile shield to be deployed in Romania is a defensive system, despite some propaganda declarations, referring to the risks. “This system is defensive. Those spelling out their concern that Romania is going to host such anti-ballistic missiles are fully aware this is a defensive system.

Their invoked risks are purely propagandistic. It is a defensive system and it cannot be converted into an offensive system. Its mission is to defend the national territory, as well as of the other states in Southeastern Europe, all members or future members of NATO”, said the President, present in the 2009 survey meeting of the Ministry of National Defence (MApN).

He also stated that the deployment of the shield is the result of a partnership between the Romanian Army and the United States Army, “an element of trust” in Romania in general and especially in the Romanian Army.
“From this angle I would like to draw MApN attention in connection with the importance of negotiations to be carried out with our American partners as for the deployment of MS 3 anti-ballistic missile batteries (part of the anti-missile shield) on Romania’s territory.

It is no secret, it is about three batteries of eight missiles each”, the President also said. He pointed out that this important structure of the anti-ballistic missile shield represents a guarantee for the protection of Romania’s territory against any eventual missile attacks.