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The minister of National Defense, Angel Tilvar, stated on Tuesday that the stability of the Western Balkans represents a strategic objective of Romania, which "strongly supports the European aspirations of the countries in this region".
Minister Tilvar paid an official visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday, at the invitation of his North Macedonian counterpart, Slavjanka Petrovska, the Romanian official being received, during his visit to Skopje, by the president of the Republic of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, a press release from MApN sent to AGERPRES, reads.
According to the source, the visit represented an opportunity to review the status and prospects of bilateral cooperation, in a regional context, within the South-East European Defense Ministers' Meeting Process (SEDM), as well as multilaterally, within NATO, but also to have an exchange of ideas regarding the security of the Black Sea region and that of the Western Balkans.
Thus, MApN says, benchmarks of bilateral cooperation in the field of defense were highlighted, such as the importance of developing political-military dialogue, joint training or the initiation of collaboration in the fields of military education and Special Operations Forces.
In the context of NATO, the Romanian minister highlighted the allies' commitment to the implementation of allied deterrence and defense measures on the territory of Romania and emphasized this summer's Vilnius Summit as an important landmark and thanked, in this sense, for the contribution of the Republic of North Macedonia with an infantry platoon at the South-East Multinational Brigade in Romania, which represents a strong signal of allied solidarity.
Romania's active involvement in the EU's efforts dedicated to the Eastern and Western Balkan partners was also emphasized.
"The Western Balkans region is of major importance for Romania, and maintaining the stability of this area represents one of our strategic objectives. The stability of the states in this region is fundamental for the security of Europe and, implicitly, for NATO's collective deterrence and defense posture. At the same time, Romania strongly supports the achievement of European aspirations for the countries of the Western Balkans," said minister Angel Tilvar, quoted in the press release.
In a regional context, minister Tilvar highlighted the importance our country attaches to the regional initiative South-Eastern Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM Ministerial), 2023 being "an important year for Romania", by taking over the 2-year rotating presidency of the format.
"We wish that during Romania's presidency we will capitalize on the extraordinary potential of this regional cooperation format. We support the process of adapting SEDM projects to the ever-changing regional and global security environment, in order to emphasize efficient and pragmatic approaches, with added value for the participating states," minister Tilvar said, according to the press release.
