The Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) has significantly contributed to the achievement of the national strategic objectives and the commitments undertaken by Romania in allied and European formats, president Klaus Iohannis stated on Saturday, in a message relayed on the occasion of the 35th anniversary since the establishment of the SIE.

'The information and signals transmitted on multiple dimensions of national security have ensured the substantiation of the important decisions of the Romanian state and the management, at a strategic level, of increasingly complex security challenges, as part of the efforts to transform Romania into a resilient state, capable of facing diffuse and unpredictable challenges. The world has changed very fast, and the Foreign Intelligence Service has adapted in real time to the new security paradigms. In parallel with the new developments facing Romania, the SIE has remained connected to the dynamic mutations of the security environment and, at the same time, has remained particularly attentive to the challenges that we could face in the future,' stated the president.

He emphasised the efficient way in which the SIE cooperates with the other institutions in the National Security System, as well as with allied and partner services.

According to the president, the consistent exchange of information, operational constructions on issues of interest and inter-institutional meetings at the expert level contribute to maintaining Romania in a safe zone.

'Russia's illegal war in Ukraine, the increasingly assertive positioning of China and other state actors on the international stage, Russia's subversive hybrid actions in Romania, but also on the entire European continent, the emergence of new technologies, the persistence of classic security risks, such as cyber, terrorism, hostile information activities, organized crime and illegal migration, have continued to generate challenges in the security environment at the international and national levels and continue to shape the activity of the Foreign Intelligence Service, along with that of the other institutions in the National Security System,' Klaus Iohannis also stated.

In his opinion, in an increasingly complex security environment marked by increased competition between international actors, Romania's main objective for 2025 is to remain a stable and secure state, connected to the Euro-Atlantic and European space, and to the democratic values and principles and the rule of law.

'In this context, it is fundamental that the Foreign Intelligence Service, together with the other institutions in the security system, develop its anticipation and early warning component, adapt its information-operational activity to changes in the security situation and increase the degree of interoperability between the various structures in its composition to ensure the correlation of developments in different fields of action,' said the president of Romania.

He argued that it is essential to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation and with external partners, in order to increase the capacity of the Romanian state to respond effectively to multiple security challenges, with an emphasis on hybrid threats.

'I am convinced that the values that have guided the SIE's activity since its establishment - patriotism, integrity, fairness and professional excellence - will continue to be put at the forefront, in order to fulfill the noble mission that the Foreign Intelligence Service has, which is to contribute to ensuring national security, defending and promoting Romania's interests,' president Klaus Iohannis also stated. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Roberto Stan, EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)