RO president says 5G strategy should be linked to NATO security

“We need to link the approach to 5G technology to the national security and NATO security,” Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said after he attended the NATO Summit in London, G4media.ro reported.

"This issue has been addressed by some of the participants in the discussion […]. It is a process that has not resulted in a decision yet, but the fact that the discussion was reiterated shows that this concern exists and it is a real one,” president Iohannis stated.

He also said that once 5G technology is introduced, security will become vital, because 5G is designed to enter into all spheres of daily life, the state institutions, the communication between citizens and state institutions, and between institutions.

The issue was introduced on the NATO Summit’s agenda by the U.S., which is worried about China’s dominance of 5G telecom networks.

This year, the United States has warned allies against using equipment made by China’s Huawei Technologies, saying that its gear could be used by China for spying.

Romania is one of the countries that have complied with the U.S. suggestions in this area. Moreover, Romania and the U.S. signed a memorandum on setting strict rules for 5G technology providers, during president Iohannis’ visit to the White House in August this year.

NATO leaders met on December 3-4 in London to discuss the future of the Alliance, amid growing tensions after French president’s famous statement about NATO being “brain dead”.

“NATO is united, we are united, NATO is strong and we move forward together without any question mark,” Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said after the summit.

During his two days at the NATO summit, Iohannis attended a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, and informal meeting hosted by British PM Boris Johnson, and a breakfast offered by U.S. president Donald Trump to which he only invited the heads of states who spend 2% of their GDP on defense.

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