Defence Minister’s meeting with his South-Korean counterpart

Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvăr, had a meeting with the Acting Minister of Defence of the Republic of Korea, Kim Seon Ho, on Tuesday, February 18th, in Abu Dhabi. The meeting between the two officials took place as part of Angel Tîlvăr's official visit to the United Arab Emirates, over February 17-19. 

Minister Angel Tîlvăr’s official program in Abu Dhabi includes official talks with the Minister of State for Defence, Mohamed Bin Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, scheduled for Wednesday, February 19th, as well as participation in the IDEX&NAVDEX 2025 International Defence Conference. 

The progress of the strategic partnership between Romania and the Republic of Korea, in the field of defence, was highlighted during the discussions with the South Korean side. The two ministers discussed the enhancement of bilateral military cooperation, but also in the extended framework generated by the common contacts and projects focused on equipping the Romanian Armed Forces with state-of-the-art equipment and technologies.

In this context, Angel Tîlvăr recalled the fact that, in the context of constantly allocating, since 2017, at least 2% of GDP to defense expenditures - percentage which was raised last year to 2.5% - Romania remains consistent with the strategic vision of modernizing its armed forces, through investments in cutting-edge technology, including by capitalizing on the opportunities offered by the strategic partnerships developed by Romania with allied and partner countries.

The establishment of production or maintenance capacities on Romanian territory, resulting from these types of cooperation, ensures not only the transfer of state-of-the-art technology, but also enables the establishment of highly qualified jobs. These objectives are tightly related to the need to strengthen the national defensive capabilities, in the current security context, by securing the production flows of military equipment and ammunition and ensuring the maintenance of essential equipment on the national territory", the Romanian minister stated.

Angel Tîlvăr emphasized that a critical landmark in the increase of relations between the two states was the signing, on April 23, 2024, of the Defence Cooperation Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the Republic of Korea - the first document of this type concluded between the two countries.

Minister Angel Tîlvăr also highlighted the significant participation of South Korean companies at the Black Sea Defense, Aerospace and Security 2024 Exhibition, held in Bucharest, and welcomed the interest shown by them in investing in the Romanian defence industry, with important economic and social benefits for our country. 

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IDEX&NAVDEX 2025 International Defence Conference, which takes place over February 17-21 in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of more than 1,500 companies from 41 countries, represents a critical point in the military and economic fields, promoting state-of-the-art technologies and facilitating the enhancement of international cooperation in the defense industry. The event represents a strategic platform for enhancing international defence cooperation and for promoting the latest industrial technologies.

 

 

The Press Office