BUCHAREST, (PNA/Xinhua) — Romania’s Defense minister Mircea Dusa announced Monday that the Americans would begin work on the Deveselu military base in early October.
The minister made the announcement in his visit Monday to the air base at Deveselu in southern Romania, where the Romanian servicemen work to make some arrangements the Defense Ministry must ensure.
According to a bilateral agreement signed in 2011, the U.S. system of defense missile interceptors will be placed at Deveselu, as a component of the Adaptive Phased Approach to the U.S. Defense System against the Ballistic Missiles in Europe by 2015.
Dusa said that there were some more things that must be made by the Romanians at Deveselu, “I am referring to making the area more secure, namely to enclose the area with the NATO type fence, and, of course, the road that should make possible patrolling in this area.”
“We had to finalize this work next year, according to schedule,” he added.
The minister added that the Romanian side too must make a sewage treatment plant and the drinking water supply system.
“Procedures are under way for a tender for other work that must be done next year, namely the electric lighting of the entire area, the supervision system,” said Dusa, adding that “We have made a priority of ensuring the funds for this year and for the next year in order to make what devolves on the Romanian side.”
Romania and the United States signed the ballistic missile defense agreement in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 12, 2011, allowing the United States to construct, maintain and operate a facility encompassing the land-based SM-3 ballistic missile defense system at the Deveselu Air Base.
The system will provide a defensive capability to protect Europe and the United States against ballistic missiles launched from the Middle East, the U.S. State Department said when inking the deal.