A new session of the Romania-Poland Strategic Dialogue

A new session of the Romania-Poland Strategic Dialogue, at the Foreign Affairs and Defence level, took place on Thursday, May 9, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters. The Ministry of National Defence was represented by State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, while State Secretary for Strategic Affairs, Ana Tinca, participated on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Polish delegation was represented by Pawe³ Zalewski, State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, and Robert Kupiecki, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The talks agenda focused on the latest developments of the Russian Federation's war of aggression in Ukraine and its consequences in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea region, the bilateral defence cooperation, aspects of the European Union's defence and security policy, regional cooperation, with focus on the B9 format as well as on the NATO Summit agenda in Washington.

State Secretary Simona Cojocaru emphasized the excellent cooperation with Poland in the political-military field and appreciated Warsaw's participation with troops and capabilities within the allied structures established on Romania’s territory. She also mentioned the contribution of the Romanian soldiers deployed to the NATO Battle Group in Poland, as well as the transfer of authority, which recently took place, between the Romanian "Gheparzii Transilvani" AD Detachment and their colleagues from the "Sky Guardians" AD Detachment, this being the fifteenth rotation.

The officials discussed extensive bilateral defence cooperation projects, with an emphasis on the potential offered by the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. In the context of the latest developments of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine, Romanian and Polish officials condemned the recent attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and highlighted the need for the international community's continued support for Kiev. The impact of this war on the partners in the region, especially on the Republic of Moldova, was also discussed, the officials pointing out the need for increasing assistance efforts and supporting the of this country's accession process to the European Union.

With reference to the Allied agenda and the Washington Summit, the dialogue focused on the need to maintain and strengthen a unified vision regarding the defence of the Eastern Flank of the North Atlantic Alliance, taking into account the strategic relevance of the Black Sea.

The consultations were followed by a visit of the delegations to the Headquarters South-East Multinational Division, where they were briefed on the specifics and activities of this allied multinational structure hosted by Romania.

The Press Office