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DefMin Tilvar urges British companies to participate in procurement of equipment for Romania's armed forces
National Defence Minister Angel Tilvar urged British companies to participate in the procurement of equipment for Romania's armed forces, during a meeting with UK Minister of State for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge, told Agerpres.
According to a press release the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday, the discussion with James Cartlidge took place on the sidelines of Minister Tilvar's visit to the UK from Monday to Wednesday. The meeting was attended by head of the Directorate General for Armaments, Lieutenant General Teodor Incicas, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Mihai Panait.
In the context of the modernisation process of the Romanian armed forces, the minister of Defence had an exchange of views on the opportunities and challenges facing the national defence industries in the security context generated by the aggressive war of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
"I would like to reaffirm our openness in strengthening cooperation with the UK in the area of endowment with equipment needed immediately, but also for the future, at interoperable standards. We encourage British companies to participate in the competitive procurement procedures for equipping Romania's Armed Forces and to work together with companies in the defence industry in our country, to the benefit of both parties," Minister Tilvar said.
In this context, the importance of Romania's acquisition of two Sandown class mine-hunting vessels was stressed, which will provide the Romanian Naval Forces with an effective solution to combat the danger of sea mines drifting in the Black Sea. The first of the two ships, modernised and delivered by the British side, has already entered the service of the Romanian Naval Forces.
The Romanian official brought to mind that the Romanian Government earmarks 2.5% of GDP to the defence budget as of this year, which ensures the acceleration of essential endowment programmes and, at the same time, creates opportunities for the involvement of the national defence industry in the process of endowing the Romanian Army with high-tech equipment and ensuring their maintenance.
The agenda of the delegation led by the defence minister also included a trip to Portsmouth Port in the south of the United Kingdom, where he visited the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and where he had, together with the members of the Ministry of National Defence delegation, a meeting with representatives of the main companies in the naval defence industry in the UK. During the discussions, specific naval equipment was presented.
