The Minister of National Defence, Mircea Dusa, attended the meeting of the ForeignAffairs Council (FAC) and the European Defence Agency (EDA) Steering Board inBrussels, on Monday, May 18.

According to the defence minister, the meetings in Brussels represented 'importantopportunities' in identifying the defence-related priorities the European Union memberstates share. '

The decisions adopted will contribute to the preparation of the European Councilmeeting on security and defence at the level of heads of state and government scheduledfor late-June, aiming at consolidating the Union as a credible player in terms ofinternational security', Mircea Dusa pointed out.

The Romanian defence minister stated that allied cooperation for the development ofmilitary capabilities is even more important in the present security context. 'Defence-related cooperation should be based on the convergence of the planning processes and theinformation exchange, as well as on the employment of NATO standards, procedures andregulations as much as possible,' Mircea Dusa said.

During the meeting of the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency (EDA), theRomanian Defence Minister saluted the activity of the EDA, which 'made efforts tofacilitate the cooperation among member states, an aspect which, Romania considers,needs an increased attention on the part of European leaders'. The minister said heendorses the implementation of the measures meant to support the small and medium-sized enterprises and the identification of the tools needed to encourage and facilitatetheir access to military markets.

During the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on military operations and missionsconducted under the aegis of the Common Security and Defence Policy of the EuropeanUnion, Minister Dusa stated Romania's position concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina. Healso emphasized the importance of consolidating EU's political efforts and operationalactions until the country reaches a level of stability that could be considered irreversible.

The minister of national defence also voiced Romania's endorsement of EU's operationsand missions in Africa, mainly the efforts to consolidate security in the Horn of Africaand the Central African Republic, as well as for the stabilization of the situation in Maliand Sahel region.At the same time, Minister Mircea Dusa spoke of the importance of initiating a strategicreview process of the EU, aimed at drawing up a new European Security Strategy thatshould reflect the new geopolitical realities.

MoND Press Office