The Minister of National Defence, Mihnea Motoc, met with Ms. Victoria Nuland, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, on Monday, January 18.

The meeting agenda included talks on bilateral military cooperation considered to be both substantial and pragmatic within the strategic projects developed at home or in theaters of operations. Minister Ministrul Motoc emphasized the importance of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA in the 21st century in terms of defence cooperation in the framework of the security architecture approached by our country.

They also discussed the regional security developments, including those in the Black Sea region.
The Romanian official considers that the rhythmic implementation of NATO's Readiness Action Plan/RAP is a priority in the allied effort to adapt to the new realities of the global security environment.

Emphasized were the efforts made by our country to meet the commitments assumed at national level for RAP before the Warsaw Summit. Minister Motoc pointed out the national consensus on the need to modernize the Romanian armed forces and improving their operational readiness. This is proved by the national agreement to allott a minimum 2 percent of the GDP for defence for a decade from 2017 on.

The defence minister brought up the subject of the two important milestones in the relation of Romania and NATO, namely the establishment of two allied structures in Bucharest, the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) and the Multinational Division Southeast headquarters, in Bucharest.

The political and concept preparation of the Warsaw Summit, where long-term adaptation measures of the Alliance are expected, has Romania play an important role, such hosting a meeting of the allied defence policy directors in April 2016.

MoND Press Office