The news that NATO is expanding the Romanian airbase "Mihail Kogalničanu", whose length will be 32 kilometers, will cover 17 square kilometers and will be the largest in Europe, pleased the peace-loving countries, especially those seven whose entire area is in the Balkans. Of course, NATO's role in the Balkans is more than welcome, it has a positive effect on stability, because a new Berlin Wall has been formed that encompasses the area from the Black Sea to the Baltic and in which three international battle groups in Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary (each of which has between 900 and 1.300 soldiers) prevent the spillover of Russian aggression from Ukraine.
Although geographically, only nine percent of Romania's territory is in the Balkans, according to the NATO plan, this country is the main strategic point of defense for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece, Kosovo and North Macedonia, of which the only non-BiH and Kosovo. In this way, Russia, even if it wants to, has no chance of igniting the flames of war in this part of Europe. As for Serbia, 60 percent of its territory is also in the Balkans, its authorities declared military neutrality in relation to the existing blocs in 2007, but cooperation with NATO was established through the Partnership for Peace, which includes BiH.
Romanian President Klaus Johanis claims that his country is a strong and valued ally within NATO in the position of deterrence and defense, a member firmly committed to the European Union and an important strategic partner of the United States of America, adding that its army is modern and professional and in the process of equipping and consolidating. At the "Kogalničan" base, work is now being done on infrastructure, such as access roads and electrical grids, and in the end, the construction of several new runways that will support the operations of various types of military aircraft is expected. The commander of the air base, Colonel Nicolae Crețu, said that there will be hangars for maintenance, fuel storage, ammunition, equipment, aviation technical materials, simulators, food and accommodation facilities, everything necessary to support operations and missions. Within the base, which will cost 2,5 billion euros, facilities will be built for about 10.000 members of NATO and their families in the same way as in the American base in Ramstein on the territory of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The total NATO forces in Romania currently number more than 5.000 soldiers with armored vehicles, tanks, artillery, air defense systems and combat aviation which has recently been strengthened with Avax. It is the largest presence of allied troops in this part of Europe, the largest number of soldiers in Romania are Americans, about 4.000 from the elite 101st Airborne Division and other supporting units, and there is also a NATO battle group with 1.000 soldiers and 150 pilots and technicians from Italy.
Something else in this story is important to point out: namely, since the Russian aggression against Ukraine began, the geopolitical importance of the Black Sea has increased, since it is located between Southeast Europe and Asia Minor, and is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Bosphorus Strait and the Sea of Marmara. while the Kerch Gate connects the Black and Azov Seas. I will remind you that for decades the Black Sea was not on the radar of political strategists when it comes to geopolitical conflicts, although there were several incidents during the Cold War. It was then between the countries of the former Warsaw Pact (Soviet Union, Romania and Bulgaria) on the one hand and Turkey, a member of NATO, on the other, and now this sea between Europe and Asia has found itself in the center of attention due to the war in Ukraine. of the world, since in addition to the land battle, there is also a naval battle. Most important to Moscow is the Black Sea, its only sea outlet to the west that is not threatened by ice. With the collapse of the USSR, Russia was left with only ten percent of the Black Sea coast, but through targeted provocations of Russian "protection" in neighboring countries, first in Georgia, and now in Ukraine, it would like to expand to a third of that coast, but NATO is ruining that plan.
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