On Saturday, 25 June, Minister of National Defence, Vasile Dincu, had a meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana, as part of the visit the two officials made at the 81st 'General Grigore Balan' Mechanized Brigade, at Bistrita.

The talks focused on the main topics approached by the defence ministers of the NATO state members at the meeting held in Brussels over 15-16 June, as well as on the agenda of the upcoming NATO Summit that is to take place next week, at Madrid.

Minister of National Defence emphasized the importance of the decisions that are to be adopted within this Summit, especially considering the current complex security environment caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Also, the two officials talked about the endorsement of the new Strategic Concept, which is of utmost importance for NATO.

In this context, minister Dincu pointed out that this new paper sets out certain guidelines, strategic tasks and objectives with regard to the long-term adaptation of the collective deterrence and defence posture and reflects NATO state members' commitment of defending each centimeter of the allied territory.

Another topic listed on this meeting agenda was the importance of the Black Sea region for the Euro-Atlantic security thus, the officials evoking the allied commitment to the consolidation of the relation with the partners with whom we share the same values of the Eastern neighborhood, and who are greatly exposed to Russia's interreferences. Another topic of discussion was the special attention paid to the Republic of Moldova, the officials pointing out the need to continue providing the necessary practical support.

During the working visit, the leadership of 4th 'Gemina' Division and 81st mechanized Brigade briefed the audience on the organization, specific missions, equipment, manning level and the status of the objectives accomplished by the two military structures this year. Also, the two dignitaries were briefed with respect to the on-going investment works made within the military units' headquarters from Bistrita, and visited the military equipment stands and met with part of the brigade staff.

NATO Deputy Secretary General thanked they soldiers of the 81st Mechanized Brigade for their professionalism, dedication and impeccable way they have done their duty in the foreign missions, all the way from Angola to Afghanistan and pointed out the importance of the decision that are to be taken next week at the NATO Madrid Summit.

Romania will continue to invest in defence equipment. It is not a senseless expenditure. I know that many people consider that this money can be used for something else. But take a look at the war going on nearby our borders. We need a better equipped armed force. We need better motivated soldiers. We need young people who wish to embrace the military career in modern high-schools and state-of-the-art military academies ', Deputy Secretary General Geoana stated.

In his turn, minister Vasile Dincu emphasized the high level of training achieved by the soldiers of the 81st Mechanized Brigade in the foreign missions executed in the theaters of operations and the training exercises and activities conducted locally and abroad. 'We came to this unit because it is an elite one, part of the Romanian Armed Force's modernization process. It is one of the brigades who has completed this modernization process. We shall bring new military equipment, we'll have Piranha 5 starting next year and other pieces of equipment which are already into the service of other NATO armed forces,' Minister of National Defence declared.

By pointing out the efforts made by the Ministry of National Defence to modernize its combat equipment, minister Dincu showed that these must be duplicated by concrete and urgent measures that would improve the working and life conditions of the military and civilian personnel. 'This is my fight and the one fought by my team that I lead at the top of the ministry. The most important resources are you, the military and civilian personnel who work within the MoND. Without an optimum manning level and people motivated or benefitting from professional opportunities in line with the nowadays aspirations or decent conditions both at home and at their work place we cannot talk about a realistic and efficient modernization strategy of our armed force. We need a decent pay and compensation system for our military and civilian personnel and this is not a promise made at political level but a major priority of my mandate as minister ', Vasile Dincu stated.

The Press Office