DefMin Fifor highlights importance of allied commitment to further implement tasks established in Warsaw

Minister of Defence Mihai Fifor on Thursday highlighted in Brussels the importance of maintaining the allied commitment to further continue the implementation of the tasks established in Warsaw, on all dimensions related to the resolutions on strengthening the deterrence and defence posture, visibly materialized in the enhanced presence on the field of the allied troops along the Eastern flank.

The second day of the meeting of defence ministers from NATO member states focused the deterrence and defence posture, with allied ministers of defence approaching both the current status of implementation and prospects for the upcoming NATO Summit, to be held this July in Brussels, says a release of the Romanian Ministry of National Defence (MApN).

"They also pointed out the efforts made at national level for the implementation of the presence of the troops on land, such as: the current stage of operations of the multinational brigade and the progress recorded in the implementation of the multinational joint training initiative - a progress reflected also through the allied documents presented to the defence ministers on the occasion of this meeting," specified the said source.

MApN also mentions that another topic on the agenda was the "analysis of allied efforts in projecting stability and fighting terrorism, with allied efforts being mentioned for rendering the Framework for the South more efficient, in the context of security risks facing the southern border of the Alliance."

"With respect to fighting terrorism, they reiterated the support that the Alliance is granting to the Global Coalition against ISIS. Moreover, the ministers discussed aspects related to boosting the support granted by the Alliance to the Republic of Iraq, through developing its defence capacities and, implicitly, training the Iraqi Security Forces," shows the release.

Moreover, Minister Fifor met his counterparts from the B9 member states on the sidelines of the meeting of the ministers in Brussels, ahead of the preparations of the B9 meeting for ministers of defence, to take place in Bucharest in mid-March.

According to the release, during the talks, the Romanian Minister underscored the importance of regional consultations between allies, as grounds for defining common approaches and stands with respect to important topics related to security and defence in the European and Euro-Atlantic framework.

In this context, they highlighted that the upcoming meeting in Bucharest will open a series of consultations between allies on the Eastern flank, to be continued through parliamentary consultations and completed in June with a B9 Summit in Warsaw.

"All these events will have a significant contribution in defining the common approach of the B9 members with respect to defining the agenda of the NATO summit in Brussels and they will also contribute to the strengthening of cooperation and inter-operability between allied armies on the entire Eastern flank," stated Mihai Fifor, quoted in the release. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)