DefMin Fifor on scheduled US visit: I'll convey message that we continue to fulfill committed obligations

Romania's Defence Minister Mihai Fifor said on Thursday that on the visit he had scheduled to the United States he will convey the message that Romania intends to fulfill all its committed military obligations.

"The message is as clear as it may be that Romania is an extremely solid and credible NATO partner. I will convey a message to our strategic partner, the United States of America, that we will continue to fulfill our committed obligations. We will have a busy schedule: meeting Secretary of Defence James Mattis, and I am absolutely convinced that there will be many important things that we will discuss, we will analyse them," Fifor said in Campulung Muscel, where he participated in the repatriation ceremony from Afghanistan of the 30th Carpathian Vultures Battalion.

He added that he would invite his American counterpart to visit Romania.

"The fact that we meet a second time in this format of an official visit to the United States speaks for itself about the very good relationship we have with our strategic partner. We will also reiterate the invitation for the Secretary of Defense James Mattis to visit Romania," said Fifor.

Romania's ambassador to the US George Cristian Maior announced at the end of July in an interview with the US Politico that Romanian Defence Minister Mihai Fifor will pay a visit to the US in September.

According to Maior, Fifor is scheduled to meet Defence Secretary James Mattis to discuss several aspects of bilateral defence co-operation, including Romania's bid to host a permanent US military contingent at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base. AGERPRES (RO - author: George Onea, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)