Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan on Friday informed Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu of the measures taken by the authorities in Bucharest to strengthen Romania's defence capabilities following the serious incident caused by a Russian drone in Galati, which he described as "unacceptable".
"It is quite a serious incident which unfortunately resulted in the drone crashing into a residential apartment block and injuring the occupants of the flat concerned, something that is unacceptable and a situation we condemned unequivocally this morning," Bolojan said during his meeting with his Moldovan counterpart, agerpres reports.
He informed Prime Minister Munteanu that the Romanian authorities had requested counter-drone military equipment from NATO.
"We have asked NATO to provide military equipment that would allow us, on the one hand, to detect drones flying at low altitude, because we are due to acquire these radar systems through the SAFE programme, but they are expected to be delivered over the coming months and up to two years from now," Bolojan said.
He added that Romania had also requested air defence systems from NATO.
"In order to shoot them down, the aerial equipment we currently possess is disproportionate to the realities on the ground. These are important issues that I hope we will resolve in the coming period in order to protect our citizens," Bolojan noted.
He stressed the importance of defence on NATO's Eastern Flank, given the war in Ukraine.
"In this part of the world, we know what our neighbourhood is like and the complicated situation we face as a result of the war in Ukraine, and that applies to both Romania and Moldova. We are dealing with circumstances that are worrying from every point of view. That is the reality," Bolojan said.
Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is on a visit to the Republic of Moldova on Friday, where he is holding talks with Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu.
