DefMin Fifor welcomes UK ambassador, chief of Georgia army staff

Romania's Defence Minister Mihai Fifor on Monday welcomed UK ambassador to Romania Andrew Noble to discuss Romanian-UK defence co-operation, according to a press statement released by the Defence Ministry (MApN).

Fifor and Noble emphasised NATO relations as well as current European affairs at their meeting at the MApN headquarters.

Fifor highlighted the excellent co-operation between the two countries within NATO and expressed his gratitude to the British Royal Air Force for their contribution to the air policing missions that took place in Romania between May and August 2018.

Their talks on current European affairs focused on deepening bilateral defence co-operation, with Fifor reiterating Romania's support for maintaining a strong dialogue and developing relations with the British partner, including in terms of security and defence. They stressed the importance of incoming signing this November of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on which the two ministers agreed both on an official visit to Bucharest this August of British Secretary Gavin Williamson, and during a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels last week.

"The signing of this new framework of co-operation between Romania and the United Kingdom in the form of a defense memorandum of understanding will be a very strong signal of our excellent and long-lasting co-operation. We conveyed the message that while holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, Romania will attach special importance to the transatlantic relationship. In this context, we stressed the essential role that the United States and the United Kingdom have in ensuring European security," said Fifor.

Also on Monday, Fifor welcomed Chief of Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces Vladimer Chachibaia, on the first day of a two-day official visit to Romania at the invitation of Romania's Chief of Staff Nicolae Ciuca.

During the meeting between Minister Fifor and Chachibaia, subjects of shared interest, such as bilateral co-operation and the Black Sea security situation, were addressed.

"At the NATO ministerial meeting last week, we analysed Georgia's progress with implementing the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP), highlighting the need to step up NATO-Georgia dialogue. Ensuring regional security is another key element of this co-operation, as the situation in the Black Sea region continues to be affected by complex and diverse development. I appreciate Georgia's commitment to NATO security efforts in the region, as both countries have an important role as riparian states," said Fifor.

The agenda of the talks between Ciuca and Chachibaia included identifying new areas of co-operation between the armed forces of the two countries, as well as diversifying of joint training arrangements. The Romanian-Georgian military co-operation activities cover areas such as military medical personnel training and classified military intelligence protection.

"There is excellent bilateral co-operation between Romania and Georgia, which we have to consolidate, in the name of our shared interests. In order to increase interoperability within the North Atlantic Alliance, we contribute to the preparation of Georgian forces for special operations through joint training and exercises. Romania remains committed to the process of developing NATO's capabilities to fulfill the full range of missions, which implies good coordination with partner states. We also envisage intensified efforts in co-operation areas correlated with the current and future objectives of NATO by effectively exploring the opportunities offered by international co-operation mechanisms," said Ciuca.

In the coming days, the Georgian delegation will conduct working visits to units of the General Staff. AGERPRES (RO - author: Cristian Lupascu, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)