National Defense Minister Angel Tilvar addressed the United Kingdom the invitation to participate in the Romania - Bulgaria - Türkiye trilateral initiative Mine Countermeasures Black Sea (MCM) starting next year.
"Allied participation in this strategic format of applied cooperation will contribute to the achievement of the goal of maintaining navigation freedom in the Black Sea basin," the National Defense Ministry said in a release on Wednesday.
On the sidelines of the official visit to London of a Romanian government delegation headed by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Defense Minister Tilvar met on Wednesday with British Secretary of Defense John Healey, with the discussion agenda focusing on options and perspectives for deepening Romanian-British dialogue and cooperation, as a fundamental pillar of the Romania - UK Strategic Partnership. Topics related to European security, the security situation in the Black Sea region and cooperation in the allied framework were also tackled, with an emphasis on strengthening the defense and deterrence posture on NATO's eastern flank.
In this context, the sides voiced appreciation for the "excellent" level of cooperation between the two states, as proven by the activities carried out in recent years, including for increasing interoperability, troops training, modernizing Romania's defense capabilities and ensuring a high level of security at the Black Sea.
"Dialogue, and defense and security cooperation with London are a priority for Bucharest. We welcome the British goals of deepening our ties in the field of security and defense," said Angel Tilvar.
Regarding the consolidation of regional stability, Romania and the United Kingdom continue coordinated action to ensure support to Ukraine. In this sense, the sides welcomed the progress made as regards the Regional Maritime Training Center, a structure standing under the auspices of the Maritime Security Capabilities Coalition within the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Appreciation was also expressed for the excellent cooperation within the UK-led Operation INTERFLEX, through which Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in Great Britain, the Romanian Defense Ministry said.
DefMin Tilvar also highlighted the efforts made by the United Kingdom to protect Romania's and NATO's airspace through the constant deployment of Royal Air Force detachments to the 57th Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.
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