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On an official visit to Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday and Friday, Romania's Defence Minister Angel Tilvar met his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, expressing his appreciation for Turkey's decision to deploy, between December 2023 and March 2024, a detachment of the Turkish Air Force that will carry out air policing missions under NATO command using F-16 aircraft.
In a press statement released on Saturday by the Romanian Defence Ministry (MApN), Tilvar is quoted as saying that the mission of the Turkish detachment at the 86th Air Base in Fetesti will be important support rounding up the security capabilities of Romania's airspace.
The frequency of high-level bilateral meetings intensified with the start of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine because of the desire of both sides to strengthen NATO's defence and deterrence posture, and the official visit to Ankara by the defence minister is said to be part of a consistent series of high-level political and military meetings of the two counties in the last two years.
During their official bilateral talks, Tilvar and Guler addressed NATO current affairs amidst the latest security developments in the Black Sea region and the Middle East, as well as the management of large flows of refugees.
"It is very important that we continue to jointly promote an enhanced profile of the Black Sea on the NATO agenda as an area of strategic interest for Euro-Atlantic security and to emphasise the need to strengthen the security profile of the region," said Tilvar.
The Romanian official brought to the attention of his counterpart in Ankara the security state of play on the Danube generated by the attacks of the Russian Federation on the Ukrainian port infrastructure. "We cannot accept such brutal and irresponsible behaviour on the part of a state that blatantly violates international law," said Tilvar.
The meeting of the two ministers was also an opportunity for a revision of the state of bilateral relations, with the two interlocutors voicing their interest in intensifying and continuing the active partnership of the two countries, and Turkey's contribution to the upgrading of the Romanian Armed Forces through the purchase by Romania of three Bayraktar TB2 UAS systems being emphasised.
At the same time, in order to strengthen the safety of civil navigation in the Black Sea amidst the growing danger of sea mines, the two ministers discussed identifying new ways to strengthen collaboration between the two countries in this area as well.
"I and Minister Guler agreed that there is a need to strengthen regional co-operation in order to cope with the danger represented by drifting mines, so that navigation can be carried out safely. It is a danger for the NATO member states of the Black Sea, and we need to work together to effectively manage this challenge," said Tilvar.
The Romanian official also discussed the relevance to both countries of co-operation formats at the regional level. "I want to draw attention to the potential of the Southeast European Defence Ministerial Process (SEDM) to contribute to the achievement of common goals, such as increasing co-operation in the Black Sea and contributing to the stability of the Western Balkans, as Romania took over the SEDM chairmanship on July 1."
At the meeting, the Turkish defence minister thanked Romania for its support provided after the devastating earthquake that hit the south-eastern part of Turkey at the beginning of this year.
