Thank you for the support Romania granted to the Baltic countries by the air police missions and the expertise granted to the Latvian Air Force stated Mrs. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia, during the meeting in Riga with the Romanian minister of National Defense, Teodor Atanasiu, Friday, May 5, 2006.

Four Romanian Air Force airplanes will perform, according to the engagements assumed within NATO, the air police missions within the Baltic air space between August and October 2007.

We do understand what the effort was for intervention in the situation created by the floods in your country stressed the Latvian President. From the public service point of view, acting in such conditions, one can notice the armed forces civil utility declared the chief of the Latvian state, transmitting in the same time the condolences for the lost of life of the post mortem Second Lieutenant Bogdan Hancu in Iraq, at the end of April.

Romanian minister of National Defense presented during the meeting with his counterpart Atis Slakteris the additional offer on training of the Latvian Air Force personnel by the Romanian specialists acting in the Baltic countries for the air police missions. For instance, the traffic controllers will have the occasion to be trained on real and not on simulators stated Teodor Atanasiu mentioning that all the details will be established at the level of specialists.

The two ministers of Defense talked about the cooperation between the two armed forces and the participation in mission abroad. In this context, Teodor Atanasiu stated the Romania part will observe the engagements assumed at international level. During the talk on the NATO Summit in Riga, this autumn, the Romanian minister of National Defense declared the Alliance must be opened for giving an impulse to the way of democratization to the countries in the Black Sea enlarged region.

Yesterday, minister Atanasiu was received by Aigars Kalvitis, Prime Minister of Latvia and the Rear Admiral Gaidis Andrejs Zeibots, commander of the Latvian national armed forces.

MoND Press Office