Premium
Minister of National Defense Nicolae Ciuca and Chief of the Defense Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, met today at the Defense Ministry's headquarters with US Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite on the occasion of the American official's visit to Romania.
The talks focused on bilateral cooperation, joint Navy projects, the security situation in the Black Sea region and current subjects on the NATO agenda, the Ministry of National Defense said in a release.
The Romanian Minister thanked the American partner for the excellent cooperation at the level of the Navy forces, "as the multinational exercises carried out in recent years in the Black Sea region are an example of best practices and military coordination at the highest standards."
A special subject was the dynamic pace of the US - Romania Strategic Partnership, an essential element for the security of Romania and the regional environment, characterized by DefMin Ciuca as "under continuous development and stronger than ever".
The Chief of Defense Staff said that the Romanian Army's priorities include strengthening cooperation at the Black Sea, the continuous rotation of US forces in Romania, and US assistance in meeting Allied capability targets.
"Romania is a robust ally, with major strategic relevance in the Black Sea region," said Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, arguing that against the backdrop of the health crisis, the process of increasing the troops' operational capacity and the essential Army endowment programs have continued. All this was done while fulfilling national commitments and carrying out international missions.
The Romanian senior officials expressed appreciation for the US efforts to support bilateral defense cooperation on several levels, in the context of capacity-building efforts and the strengthening of the North Atlantic Alliance's defense and deterrence stance on the eastern flank.
The agenda of the American official in Romania also includes visits to the 99th Deveselu Military Base, the 57th Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base and to the military units of the Romanian Navy in Constanta.
US Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite is on a visit to Romania until Thursday.
