Romanian Defence Minister, Teodor Melescanu, had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Ukraine, Denmark, U.S.A. and Italy, on April 3.

During the talks with the Ukraine Defence Minister, Iuri Yekhanurov, Teodor Melescanu reminded that Romania has strongly endorsed Ukraine's invitation to the Membership Action Plan, and he pointed out that the decision made today in Bucharest is not meant to discourage Kiev, which should keep on working on its joining NATO. Minister Melescanu stressed again the Romanian willingness to continue and intensify the military cooperation between the two countries.

Regarding the Romanian Defence Minister's bilateral meeting with his Danish counterpart, Søren Gade, Defence Minister Melescanu accepted the Danish Defence Minister's invitation for an official visit this year to the Kingdom of Denmark.

Romanian Defence Minister, Teodor Melescanu and his U.S. counterpart, Robert Gates, talked about the Romanian-American military cooperation in the theatres of operations, with a special focus on the operations in Southern Afghanistan.

Another bilateral meeting was between the Romanian Defence Minister and the Italian Defence Minister, Arturo Parisi, focused on aspects regarding the military cooperation between the two countries, the Italian party expressing their interest in participating in the Romanian Armed Forces' strategic procurement programmes.

MoD Press Office