Prime Minister Victor Ponta said Monday at a conference organized by the American Embassy, AMCHAM and AMRO, that in his opinion the real battle with the Russian Federation will not be one with conventional weapons, but with energy, stressing that Romania must ensure energy independence. "Romania is investing more in defense spending, obviously that the NATO's decision is welcome, but I still think the real battle with the Russian Federation will not be one with conventional weapons but with energy. If Romania manages to secure energy independence for Romania and Moldova at least, then all the goals we set at the economic level can be achieved ", Ponta said according to Mediafax.
He noted that energy is one in which Romania has made huge steps and should do even more steps, stressing that the American companies support is essential in this field.
"We have growth in agriculture, industrial production, exports, but they all depend on energy security all the more so because of the political situation in the region, related to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, this situation of instability, of violation of an order that we thought was settled, leading to the biggest challenge - energy security " Ponta said.
He said he looked forward to their support and thanked the companies that have invested in the development of the energy sector in Romania, be they American, European and Romanian.
President Traian Basescu said on Friday, after the NATO summit in Wales, that Romania must reach a budget of 2% of GDP on defense, expressing his conviction that we should do so before 2017, given that "freedom is not free".