Romania Presses for NATO Redeployment over Ukraine Crisis

NATO should redeploy its forces in eastern Europe and make the Black Sea region a priority after Russia's annexation of Crimea, Romania's foreign minister urged in an interview Thursday with Agence France Presse.

"Romania has concrete expectations of a redeployment and an eastward repositioning of NATO's naval, air and ground forces," Titus Corlatean said.

"The Black Sea region must be a top priority for NATO and the EU," he stressed.

Bucharest "is extremely concerned over developments in Ukraine which have a serious impact on international security," Corlatean said.

Romania, a member of both the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, shares a border with Ukraine which lies to the north of it.

To reassure eastern European members of the alliance, in particular the Baltic states, Poland and Romania, NATO in early March decided to temporarily deploy AWACS reconnaissance aircraft.

The AWACS -- Airborne Warning and Control System -- will overfly Poland and Romania as part of alliance efforts to monitor the crisis in Ukraine, NATO said.

The United States has also sent six F-15 fighter-bombers, a dozen F-16 fighter jets and three transport aircraft to Poland. A U.S. guided missile destroyer is due in the Black Sea in the coming days.