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We are supporting Romania and Bulgaria, so that the Black Sea stays a secure area and not become a danger zone, the French ambassador, Nicolas Warnery, said in an interview to AGERPRES.
He continued, saying that the Black Sea area "is an area with dangers, to some extent. There are mines adrift and we have to fight against this danger."
Referring to the Battle Group in Romania, and to the future of this NATO group in Romania, but also to the future of the French-Romanian military relationship, the French ambassador recalled that the French-Romanian military relationship is very old, it has historical foundations, with reference to The First World War and the mission led by Henri Berthelot, which helped Romania decisively.
"But, leaving General Berthelot for the history books, let's talk about what happened in 2022. President Macron said a few days before the offensive [of the Russian Federation in Ukraine - editor's note] - we all hoped that this would not happen - that if we have to go somewhere, it will be in Romania. He proposed to NATO and Romania a special French effort in the coming weeks. In reality, the Russian aggression took place on February 24 and we immediately deployed the first elements, in the days that followed. We immediately formed what is called a battle group in Alliance terms, which is actually a brigade. The brigade is not actually complete, but all the structures of a brigade are in place, including equipment, which has 1,500 soldiers who train, with successive rotations every four months. I saw them when they were preparing to take part in military exercises. They are real soldiers, ready for war, if necessary. We hope that will not be the case, that Romania will never be attacked. It looks a bit like the French troops pre-positioned in Germany, during the Warsaw Pact. Everyone hoped they wouldn't be needed, but they were ready to go in a few hours. It's the same thing. Mission Aigle is ready at any moment. It is prepared to be advanced to the level of a full brigade, in case of need," said ambassador Warnery.
