On Monday, September 24th, during his official visit to Washington, the Minister of National Defence, Mihai Fifor, participated in the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) Forum which debated on "Winning the 21st Century-Allied Strengh and Solidarity". Minister Fifor participated in the Forum as special guest and delivered a presentation within "Beyond 2%: Quantity and Quality in European Defense Investments" Panel.

The speech of the Minister of National Defence focused on the Romanian Guverment's commitment related to the fair burden sharing within the North Atlantic Alliance and to the defence side of the strategic partnership between Romania and the USA.

We talked about the strategic maturity that Romania is manifesting both in the Black Sea area and inside the Alliance it belongs to. We proved that our country is a strong ally which is filling all three NATO cash requirements: 2% allotment for defense budget, troops contribution and capabilities. In this context, I pointed out the need for a coherent defense planning, stressing on the efforts Romania has been making during the last year, both in terms of quantity and quality. Thus, I insisted on the reason of the defense acquisition which has an important investment component in our national defense industry, technology transfer and know-how, industry cooperation and offset. All these facts prove that the Ministry of National Defense is an incentive for the national economy growth and development, minister Fifor stated.

On September 24th, Minister Mihai Fifor also met General Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, at his place of residence. The meeting was also attended by other American officials, as Major-General Sheryl Gordon, Chief of the Alabama National Guard, Thomas Goffus, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy, US congressmen, and representatives of the US Department of State and Department of Defense. The discussions focused on the cooperation between Romania and the USA in defense area and on the important role Romania has assumed in the Black Sea region.

The Press Office