Minister Angel Tîlvãr met with his British counterpart, Grant Shapps

Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvãr, met with his British counterpart, Grant Shapps, on Monday, November 27, in London.

The Romanian Minister of Defence and the British Secretary of State for Defence had a substantial meeting agenda, which focused on the consolidation and development of the strategic partnership between the two countries, the security situation in the Black Sea, the Russian Federation's war of aggression in Ukraine and the NATO agenda.

With regard to the bilateral relation, Minister Tîlvãr expressed the determination of the Romanian side to implement the lines of effort in the field of defence and security mentioned in the Joint Statement on the Romania - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Strategic Partnership, signed in March, this year.

"I talked to my counterpart about how we can enhance cooperation in terms of consolidating the defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern flank, the implementation of NATO's Strategic Concept, but also about the need to maintain a constant dialogue to better understand the challenges posed by each region. We also had an exchange of views about the special importance we attach to the Republic of Moldova and the Western Balkans", the Romanian Minister of Defence stated.

Minister Tîlvãr conveyed to Secretary of State for Defence Shapps his concerns regarding the security situation in the Black Sea region and on NATO's Eastern flank, generated by a dangerous escalation after Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

"The Russian Federation bears full responsibility for its dangerous actions in the Black Sea, which represent an important risk for the stability and peace in the Black Sea region, a region of strategic importance for NATO", Angel Tîlvãr emphasized.

The Romanian official appreciated Great Britain's contribution to strengthening the allied posture on the Eastern flank and especially in the Black Sea region, concrete proof of allied solidarity and unity. The participation of the United Kingdom in the enhanced Air Policing Missions conducted in Romania as well as the future engagements and exercises organized in bilateral and multilateral format are just a few concrete examples of these contributions.

As regards the evolution of the conflict in Ukraine, Minister Tîlvãr commended the support provided by Great Britain to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and welcomed the effectiveness of the Interflex training mission in which Romania also participates. According to the British military authorities, over 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers were successfully trained in this mission, an effort to which Romanian military instructors also contributed.

In relation to the NATO agenda, Minister Tîlvãr recalled the success of the Vilnius Summit, in the context of the major decisions adopted with regard to the continuous adaptation of the deterrence and defence collective posture. The Romanian official expressed Romania's determination to support and contribute to the continuation of the implementation efforts of the collective posture in a long-term multi-domain approach.

The Press Office