DefMin Fifor meets US official Goffus who appreciates Romanian servicemen's participation in Afghanistan

National Defence Minister Mihai Fifor had a meeting at the National Defence Ministry (MApN) headquarters on Monday with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy Thomas W. Goffus, on which occasion the US official appreciated the substantial participation of the Romanian servicemen in the theatre of operations in Afghanistan. 

According to a MApN release sent to AGERPRES, during the talks, the two officials approached topics related to the security situation in the Black Sea region, the manner of implementing the assurance and adaptation measures agreed at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, focused on the uniform approach of the entire eastern flank and the adapted advanced presence on the land, sea and air dimensions, as well as the participation in missions in the theatres of operations. 

"In this context, the US official appreciated the substantial participation of the Romanian servicemen in the theatre of operations in Afghanistan and Romania's contribution as part of the anti-ISIL coalition, headed by the the US, in the efforts to neutralise the terrorist organisations," the release reads. 

Moreover, Thomas Goffus sent the message of US Defence Secretary James Mattis, concerning the example that Romania provides among the allied states, taking into account the observance of the firm commitment to allot two percent of the GDP to the defence area. 

"In context, Minister Mihai Fifor pointed out that Romania will continue this trend in 2018, highlighting that the conduct of all the programmes to endow the Romanian Armed Forces will represent a priority to Romania's Government, in the coming period," the release also reads. 

The visit of the US official is part of the agenda of periodical contacts in the defence area between the two sides, under the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US, and represented a good opportunity for conducting an opinion exchange on topical issues in the security and defence areas, as well as concrete aspects related to the cooperation with the US, both from a bilateral perspective and in an allied context.