Romania's Defence Minister Mihai Fifor said on Tuesday that the submarine acquisition programme is currently being looked into by the Navy and the acquisition proper could start after 2020.
Asked if he had discussed with the German Defense Minister at the Munich Security Conference the acquisition of submarines, he said the meeting was aimed at German support for the Craiova Multinational Brigade and industrial co-operation.
"Germany cannot participate at a ministerial level in the acquisition of submarines. We had a very good bilateral relationship with the German defence minister, and we mentioned the support we were requesting from Germany for the development of the multinational brigade in Craiova. (...) We also discussed industrial cooperation, because every country asks for industrial cooperation. Everyone wants to know how Romania will contribute to the PESCO [Permanent Structured Cooperation] format and what industrial cooperation programmes Romania will join," said Fifor.
AGERPRES .