The Belgian Defence Minister Theo Franken, on official visit to Romania

On Friday, May 23, Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvăr, received the visit of his counterpart from the Kingdom of Belgium, Theo Franken, at the 71st "General Emanoil Ionescu" Air Base Headquarters, in Câmpia Turzii.

The meeting represented a good opportunity to enhance bilateral dialogue and to continue the consultations recently initiated within the European Union and NATO Defence Ministers Meetings.

The discussions focused on current topics regarding regional security, with emphasis on the situation in the Black Sea region, in the context of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine, the enhancement of bilateral defence relations and cooperation within the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union.

Minister Angel Tîlvăr stressed the importance of strengthening the defence posture on NATO's eastern flank and ensuring security and stability in the Black Sea region, in the context of preparation of decisions to be adopted at the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague, in June.

The agenda of the talks also included issues related to the White Paper for Defence - Readiness 2030 and the new European financial instrument SAFE (Security Action for Europe), reflecting the common interest in consolidating EU's role in boosting resilience and defence capabilities at European level.

 

Regarding military cooperation, the Romanian side particularly appreciated Belgium's substantial contribution to the NATO Battle Group Romania, with France as framework nation. The temporary deployment of a Belgian battalion, for the first time in our country, as part of Dacian Spring 25 Multinational Exercise, was also highlighted.

Minister Tîlvăr expressed his appreciation for Belgium's participation with an observer in the MCM Black Sea Task Group, an essential structure for ensuring navigation safety in the Black Sea.
The two officials welcomed the excellent level of bilateral relations, expressing openness to identifying joint projects that would contribute to modernizing and consolidating the Romanian Armed Force’s capabilities, as well as to increasing the two armed forces’ interoperability and personnel’s training level.

An important point of the official discussions was the reaffirmation of support for the Republic of Moldova throughout its European integration process, emphasizing the importance of European coordination for increasing resilience and stability of this country, as well as of the partners in the European Union's eastern neighborhood.

The Press Office