Defence Minister’s meeting with his counterpart from the French Republic, Sébastien Lecornu

The major aspect of the visit of Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr to Paris was the bilateral meeting held on Monday, November 4th, with his counterpart from the French Republic, Sébastien Lecornu, at the Ministry of the Armed Forces headquarters, where the Romanian official was welcomed by the Guard of Honor.

The meeting agenda included current topics regarding the cooperation between Romania and France, the officials focusing on strategic defence priorities, in the complex security context in the Black Sea region and the Russian Federation's continuous war of aggression in Ukraine. Also, the officials addressed issues related to the collaboration between the two states within NATO, the European Union and at bilateral.

On this occasion, Minister of National Defence emphasized the importance of the Strategic Partnership with France, highlighting the excellent collaboration within NATO and the joint efforts to strengthen the allied deterrence and defence posture on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance. Minister Angel Tîlvăr appreciated the significant contribution of France and thanked the authorities from Paris for their active involvement in the provision of security in the Black Sea region. The importance of the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group (MCM Black Sea) in ensuring the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea was discussed and France's interest in this initiative was welcomed.

Minister Tîlvăr pointed out that Romania was making constant efforts as host nation to provide the necessary support to France, as leading nation of the Cincu NATO Battle Group, and highlighted the importance of continuing training and increasing interoperability among all the allied troops deployed to our country, given the current security context.

"Alongside the French partner, who leads the Cincu NATO Battle Group, and the soldiers of the other allied states deployed on the national territory, we are fully committed to ensuring security and stability of the Black Sea region," Minister Angel Tîlvăr said.

Also, during the meeting, the high level of collaborative relations between the two states was appreciated, while the medium and long-term projects for the Romanian Armed Forces’ modernization were also discussed.

The two officials also approached the support offered to the regional partners, both bilaterally and within NATO and the EU, a special attention paid to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

 

The Press Office