The inaugural meeting of the Romanian-Indian Joint Defence Cooperation Committee was held at the Ministry of National Defence headquarters, on Tuesday, April 23.

The working sessions were opened by State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, the Romanian delegation being headed by the Deputy Chief of the Department for Defense Policy, Planning and International Relations, Major General Liviu Mihail Iancu, while the delegation of the partner state was headed by Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of India, Vishwesh Negi.

The agenda of the joint committee focused on the international security environment and the perspectives of both parties on the security crises in the geographical proximity, as well as on topics of common interest regarding the increase of bilateral defence cooperation, based on the Defence Cooperation Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of India, signed in New Delhi, in March 2023.

During the meeting, the Romanian side emphasized the impact that the war of aggression led by the Russian Federation in Ukraine has on the security of Romania and the Black Sea region.

The prospects of bilateral defence cooperation relations, in the context of the UN or of India's cooperation with the European Union, were emphasized through the identification of areas of common interest such as maritime security and the fight against terrorism, joint participation in UN-led missions, cooperation in the technical-military field or education and military history.

The Romanian side expressed its appreciation for the mediating role that India assumes within the important process of monitoring the security situation in the Asia-Pacific area, as well as its major contribution in peacekeeping missions, worldwide.

The Indian delegation also participated in a round table talk with representatives of the defence industry companies, as part of the Romanian-Indian Joint Defence Cooperation Committee Meeting.

The Press Office