US Congress Delegation, at the 57th Mihail Kogãlniceanu Air Base

State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, met on Monday, March 21, at the 57th Mihail Kogãlniceanu Air Base, with a US Congress delegation headed by Stephen Lynch, Chairman of the National Security Parliamentary Subcommittee.

The talks focused on the assessment of the regional security situation as well as on the political-military cooperation relations, both from the perspective of the Strategic Partnership and at allied level.

At the same time, the Romanian and American officials talked about the actions taken to consolidate the defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern flank, respectively about the US significant commitment.

“Allied cohesion and solidarity exist, we see them here, at the Black Sea, at Mihail Kogãlniceanu Air Base! We clearly demonstrate NATO’s firm commitment for the defence of all allies. The deployment of the US forces consolidates our defence. We must continue consolidating the NATO posture, while the establishment of an allied battle group in Romania is a major objective”, State Secretary Simona Cojocaru stated.

Congressman Stephen Lynch expressed his appreciation for the support given to the US troops by Romania and reiterated USA’s strong commitment in defending the Eastern flank, including Romania.

In the context of the current security situation, the chief of Defence Staff communicated the Congress representatives that the US authorities’ decision in augmenting the forces in Europe, especially on the NATO Eastern flank, is a strong and clear message of the determination in providing for collective defence and emphasizes the sustainability of the trans-Atlantic bond among the allies.

The Press Office