On Wednesday, 23 November, Minister of National Defence, Angel Tilvar, as member of the delegation headed by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca, participated in the first joint session of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain and the Government of Romania, organized at Castellon de la Plana.

As part the session, the Romanian official had a bilateral meeting with his Spanish counterpart, Margarita Robles Fernandez.

On this occasion, the two defence ministers talked about the security situation generated by the aggression war led by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and its implications at global level, the implementation of the decisions made at the NATO Madrid Summit and Spain's contribution to the Allied on-going operational projects from Romania as well as about the bilateral cooperation and the need to keep an eye on the security issues emerging in Africa or other areas of the globe.

By commending the increased political-military dialogue at high level, Minister Angel Tilvar expressed his conviction that the joint declaration adopted at the end of the joint session will enhance the development of the Romanian-Spanish cooperation, including in the field of defence.

In the context of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the Kingdom of Spain, the officials emphasized the very good level of cooperation between the two armed forces, both at bilateral and multilateral levels, within NATO and EU format, and pointed out both parties openness to new ways of cooperation in common interest areas.

Minister of National Defence appreciated the significant support provided by the Spanish partner in the implementation of the Allied defence and deterrence measures in the Black Sea region, commending Spain's decisions on deploying the air surveillance radar as part of the consolidation of the Allied presence on the Eastern flank of the Alliance, as well as the participation with aircraft and specialty personnel in the Allied air missions conducted on Romanian territory.

With reference to EU, Angel Tilvar and Margarita Robles Fernandez approached subjects listed on the European security agenda, the Romanian official wishing his Spanish partners good luck in exerting the rotational Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second semester of year 2023.

At the end of the meeting, the two ministers agreed to maintain a constant dialogue in support of an effective implementation of the common projects assumed in the field of defence, in all cooperation formats.

The Press Office