France's Defense Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has visited Romania
The current regional security challenges and allied and bilateral cooperation ranked high on the agenda for talks between France's Defense Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, held as part of his visit to Bucharest on Thursday. The meeting with president Klaus Iohannis focused on the status and prospects of developing the Strategic Partnership between the two states, with a focus on defense, security developments in the Black Sea region, the EU agenda as well as the status of implementing the decisions adopted at the NATO summit in Madrid. Regional developments in the context of the Russian aggression in Ukraine were also tackled during the meeting the French official had with Romania's Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă. The two also reviewed the serious impact the invasion has had on military, energy and food security, also generating instability in neighboring states, particularly the Republic of Moldova. Together with his Romanian counterpart, Angel Tîlvăr, Sébastien Lecornu visited the military base in Cincu, Brașov County, where the NATO battlegroup led by France is carrying out training exercises alongside Romanian forces. The two also attended the opening of the Collective Defense Battlegroup headquarters. The battlegroup currently comprises military from France, the Netherlands and Belgium. Defense cooperation remains key, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine, and we must provide an answer to this unprecedented security challenge, Romania's Defense Minister, Angelo Tîlvăr said.
"Security developments and the challenges we are facing demand a stronger EU, that should supplement NATO's efforts to ensure European stability and security. France and Romania have constantly supported this goal. The situation in Ukraine once again highlighted the importance of EU-NATO complementarity, as the EU plays a key role in supporting Ukraine as part of an integrated approach".
In turn, Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that the Black Sea has become a conflict area and a concern for NATO and EU states. France has dispatched the first convoy of military equipment, consisting of armored transport vehicles, which arrived some two weeks ago in Romania. The second convoy of Leclerc tanks is expected to arrive this month. With an estimated value of 10 million EUR, the Leclerc tank is considered highly effective in ground combat and has a high accuracy rate, capable of hitting a target from a distance of 4 kilometers. At present, the French battalion in Romania comprises 350 military, considering the chief of General Staff said France is expected to send a total of 500 troops and equipment. (VP)
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