Romanian-British consultations in the field of defence

Romanian-British consultations in the field of defence

State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Sorin-Dan Moldovan, co-chaired, together with the Head of Euro-Atlantic Security Policy at the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Joanne Hamer, the Romanian-British consultation sessions in the field of defence, which took place on Tuesday, October 7th, at the Ministry of Defence headquarters.

The event represents the first formal high-level meeting since the entry into force, in June this year, of the new comprehensive bilateral defence cooperation agreement between Romania and the United Kingdom, signed in London, in November 2024.

In line with the profile and scope of the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership, the activity agenda covered a wide range of topics, with an emphasis on the implementation of the aspects of the agreement: the conduct of the joint training and exercises, cooperation in the field of the defence industry and capitalizing on the SAFE financial instrument made available by the European Union.

The consultations on the security situation in the Black Sea Region, with an emphasis on the support for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, also represented a central topic of discussion. In this context, the officials addressed the aspects and implications of the recent incursions of Russian Federation's drones into the Romanian airspace as well as the results and prospects of the Maritime Training Center, established following the Romanian Parliament's approval, in October last year.

"London is one of Romania's most important partners and allies, our strategic partnership being essential for consolidating and modernizing Romania's defence capacity, for European and regional security and supporting the defence of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova," State Secretary Moldovan stated.

With regard to collective defence, the two officials appreciated the very good cooperation between Romania and the United Kingdom within NATO, in the context of the multiple challenges posed to the Alliance's security and the developments of the war in Ukraine. In this context, the dignitaries welcomed the important decisions that the leaders had taken at The Hague NATO Summit, with the allies committing to significantly increase their defence expenditures.

The talks mainly focused on the Allied efforts to implement these decisions, with the Romanian party stressing the role that Romania has in the Black Sea region and our country's substantial contribution to ensuring the security of the Alliance.

In the context of the EU's defence strategy, the importance of structured cooperation between the EU and the United Kingdom in the field of security and defence was emphasized and the support for London's participation in European defence initiatives and mechanisms was reaffirmed, in accordance with the provisions of the White Paper on European Defence and of the EU-UK Security and Defence Partnership.

The Press Office