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Romania's CoD Petrescu on official visit to US : Romanian military supported the consolidation of UN's leadership role
The Romanian military has supported the consolidation of the leading role of the United Nations in the field of international peace and security since 1991, according to Romania's Chief of Defence (CoD) Daniel Petrescu, told Agerpres.
Throughout July 21, Petrescu was on an official visit to the US to attend the "State Partnership Program - 30th Anniversary" conference in Washington D.C.
Petrescu also toured the UN headquarters in New York, where he met Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN under-secretary general for peace operations, with their conversation focused on the contribution of the Romanian army to peace-keeping missions.
"Over the last three decades, more than 6,000 troops have participated in 17 peace-keeping missions and operations under the auspices of the UN. The Romanian 'Blue Helmets' have been joining the international effort both with detachments - with the last example being a substantial participation in the mission in Mali (2019-2020) - and on individual missions. Currently, Romania is represented by military observers in peace-keeping operations in Congo, South Sudan, Mali, as well as in other areas of the world," according to Petrescu.
The schedule of the visit to the UN headquarters included meetings with General Birame Diop, military adviser in the Department of Peace Operations, and other UN officials.
While in the US, Petrescu met head of the US National Guard Bureau General Daniel R. Hokanson, and head of the Alabama National Guard Sheryl E. Gordon.
The head of the US National Guard Bureau assessed the global security environment amidst current and future challenges and highlighted the importance of strategic partnerships. He is quoted as saying that over the last 30 years, co-operation has meant not only strengthening interoperability and increasing the reaction capacity of military structures, but also strengthening friendship and mutual trust between the military. We have acted together and learned from each other, and all this and good practices have made us all stronger.
During the conference, Petrescu was invited to talk about the national perspectives of the partnership program in the panel entitled "Future vision: the next thirty years".
The Chief of Defence presented both the Romanian Army's vision for the State Partnership Program, as well as the importance of the Black Sea region in the current security context in Europe and the determining role that intensified co-operation with regional commands can have in strengthening the defence posture.
"Joint training activities have contributed to an increase in our own defensive capacity. We want not only to keep up the pace of co-operation, but to increase its practical scope at a tactical and operational level. Our objective must remain international stability, and its fulfillment requires the coordination of like-minded states .The State Partnership Program therefore represents a key element of co-operation with the US. Nationally, the programme will remain a means of strengthening Romania's security pillar, subordinated to the strategic partnership. It is important to know that for the coming decades the United States will stay interested in Romania's security and in improving security in the Black Sea region," said Petrescu.
The visit in Washington also included a series of activities hosted by the National Defense University (NDU), where Petrescu met NDU Chairman Michael T. Plehn, other officials of the university, as well as Romanian students. The main event was the celebration of Petrescu, a graduate of the NDU National War College, being inducted into the International Fellows Hall of Fame of the prestigious American defence university.
