The Minister of National Defence, Mihnea Motoc, received Vice Admiral Rumen Nikolov, the Bulgarian Chief of Defence, at the defence ministry, Wednesday, December 2.

The agenda included talks on topics of interest such as the present security context, bilateral and Euro-Atlantic cooperation, preparations with a view to the Warsaw Summit of 2016.

The two officials highlighted the complex character of the present security environment, mainly in Eastern Ukraine and the extended Black Sea region. Both parties reiterated the importance of the NATO Force Integration Units/NFIUs for both countries, including the Multinational Division South-East activated in Bucharest on December 1st, as part and expression of the reassurance measures of the allies on the eastern flank. In this context, it was commended the commitment of the Bulgarian partner who manned 10 positions of this command.

Vice Admiral Nikolov, who visits our country at the invitation of the chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Nicolae Ciuca, had several meetings at the General Staff along the day.

The main topics approached included bilateral military cooperation, the implementation of the tasks derived from the Readiness Action Plan, the common initiatives assumed to increase regional security and stability and identifying new areas of mutual interest.

General Ciuca emphasized the high level of the Romanian-Bulgarian cooperation, especially during the operations conducted under the aegis of the Black Sea Rotational Force, as well as the multinational exercises, conducted more often lately, on the territory of both countries.

MoND Press Office