Ministry of National Defence

The importance of the strategic dialogue between Romania and the Netherlands was highlighted on Monday within the discussions between National Defence Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca and Dutch Ambassador in Bucharest Roelof van Ees, reads a National Defence Ministry (MApN) release.

The Afghan National Army will participate for the first time in Efes 2020, one of Turkey's biggest military exercises, an official statement said on Dec. 21.

According to the Ministry of Defense in Kabul, the decision was made during Deputy Minister Munera Yosufzada's trip to Ankara where she met her Turkish counterpart Yunus Emre Karaosmanoğlu.

Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) endorsed, on Tuesday, the budget proposals for 2020 for the institutions with responsibilities in the field of national defence and security.

Minister of National Defence Nicolae Ciuca stated on Tuesday that, during the preliminary talks he had with the Government, he received "all guarantees" that the Ministry of National Defence will continue to receive a budget representing 2 per cent of GDP.

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday that he has called on Parliament leadership to suspend the procedures for debating and adopting bills until the new Government issues its point of view on each piece of legislation. "I have asked the leadership of the two Chambers to suspend the procedures for debating and adopting laws until the Government issues a point of view.

Defence Minister Gabriel Les met on Thursday in Helsinki with his Greek counterpart, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, on the sidelines of the informal meeting of EU defence ministers; the two top officials discussed the "excellent Romanian - Greek military cooperation", the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) said in a release.

National Defence Minister Gabriel Les stated on Friday, after the news regarding the five servicemen injured while on a mission in Afghanistan, that "people are still dying for Romania's security," underscoring that it's important for the Army not be introduced "in political games" and the endowment programmes be continued. "There are five Romanian servicemen who were injured in this incident.

Senior official for defence policy, planning and international affairs with Romania's Defence Ministry (MApN) Nicolae Nasta will be attending, 13 - 14 May, along with defence and foreign ministers of the EU member states, a Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting and a meeting of European Defense Agency's (EDA) Steering Committee in the format of defence ministers to be held in Brussels.

A schedule of bilateral and multinational exercises, including within NATO, planned to take place during the current year and in 2020 on Romania's soil was one of the main topics for discussion at a meeting of the Romanian-American Joint Committee in Bucharest on Wednesday.

In the armed action against the revolutionaries, ordered by Nicolae Ceausescu between 16 and 22 December 1989, no persons from abroad were involved, the repression having been exercised by all the military structures of Romania, namely the Ministry of the Interior - the Securitate [the communist-era secret police, ed.n.] State Department (MI-DSS) and the Ministry of National Defense (MApN), rea