Defence Minister Mihai Fifor had a meeting with the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Romania, Andrew Noble, on Monday, October 8th, at the MoND headquarters.

During the talks, the officials tackled the Romanian-British cooperation in the field of defence, with focus on the relations within NATO as well as current topics listed on the European agenda. The Minister of National Defence emphasized the excellent collaboration between the two states within NATO and expressed his gratitude towards the contribution of the British Royal Air Force in the air policing missions conducted on Romanian territory over May to August, this year.

The European agenda comprised topics such as the increase of defence bilateral cooperation, minister Fifor reiterating our country's support in maintaining an intense dialogue and in developing the relations with its British partner in the fields of security and defence. In this respect, the officials emphasized the importance of signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the two states the two ministers agreed upon during the official visit paid by the State Secretary for Defence, Gavin Williamson, to Bucharest, in August, as well as during the discussions held at the NATO Defence Ministerial, from Brussels.

The signing of this new cooperation framework between Romania and Great Britain, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of defence will represent a strong signal of our excellent and long-term cooperation. At the same time, we sent the message that Romania would give a special importance to the trans-Atlantic relation while holding the Presidency of the European Union Council. In this context, I pointed out the essential role that the USA and Great Britain have in ensuring European security, Mihai Fifor stated.

The defence minister expressed his conviction that the bilateral dialogue will continue its ascending trend and wished the British official success throughout his mandate in Bucharest.

The Press Office