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Kiev closely watching deployment of NATO missile shield in Romania

Official Kiev is closely watching the situation around the deployment of NATO missile defense elements (ABM) in Romania

KIEV, November 10 (Itar-Tass) —— Official Kiev is closely watching the situation around the deployment of NATO missile defense elements (ABM) in Romania and hopes it will not entail tensions between the two neighboring countries, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishchenko told a news conference on Thursday.

“We are watching the development of the situation and the steps on which the creation of a missile defense system depends. We do not want it to create tensions between our two neighboring states,” he said.

In the mean time, Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi reassured that the missile defense system is being deployed in his country with the only purpose of ensuring security of NATO countries. The missile shield elements in Romania are purely of defense character, he stressed. In his words, consultations of the issue proceed in the format of Russia-NATO-European Union.

The Romanian foreign minister vowed his country had no territorial claims to any state, including Ukraine. “I would like to put it straight. Romania stands for inviolability of state borders. We have no claims to the territorial integrity of other countries,” Baconschi stressed.