Paris Defence and Strategy Forum

A delegation of the Ministry of National Defence, headed by State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, participated, over March 13-14, in the first edition of the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum (PDSF).

As part of the Forum, the State Secretary had a meeting with Alice Rufo, General Director for International Relations and Strategy within the French Ministry of Defence.

The meeting agenda included topics of interest and joint projects run bilaterally as well as within European and NATO framework, a special focus being placed on the cooperation within the NATO Battle Group (BG) Romania, led by France.

The State Secretary emphasized the importance of the Battle Group Romania, which represents a central pillar of the deterrence and defence posture on the eastern flank, especially in the Black Sea region. In this regard, the officials reiterated that our country remains determined to fulfill its duties as a host nation. The importance of the exercises that will be carried out by the Battle Group over the next period and the importance of its participation in brigade-level activities were also emphasized, according to the allied decisions.

In the intervention within the PDSF, the Romanian official brought up the challenges and threats in South-Eastern Europe.

"The Black Sea is now at the heart of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture and is facing many of the challenges posed to the international rules-based order and the security architecture in Europe. The problem, therefore, is no longer the recognition of the importance of the Black Sea region and the entire South-East Europe, but the development of the necessary plans so that our needs be translated into concrete actions", State Secretary Simona Cojocaru stated.

The event in France is part of the series of major international conferences held in the field of defence and represents a good opportunity to enhance interaction with officials and experts at international level. The Paris Defence and Strategy Forum was organized by the Defence Academy of the Military School of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

The Press Office