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Six more Dutch F-16 aircraft will arrive in the coming months at the European Training Center in Romania, announced the minister of Defence, Angel Tilvar, in the context of Saturday's meeting with his Dutch counterpart, Kajsa Ollongren, in the context of participating in the 60th edition of the Security Conference in Munich.
Minister Angel Tilvar had, on Saturday, a bilateral meeting with Kajsa Ollongren, the minister of Defence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This meeting provided an excellent platform for in-depth discussions on essential security and defense issues, emphasizing the close cooperation between the two nations, according to a press release from the Ministry of National Defence sent to AGERPRES.
According to the source, the topics addressed by the two officials covered a wide range of common interests, placing a special emphasis on security in the Black Sea region, especially in the context of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Minister Tilvar condemned the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube and presented Romania's efforts to maintain the safety of civil maritime traffic. In this context, he mentioned the importance of the Republic of Turkey - Romania - Bulgaria (MCM Black Sea) trilateral agreement for countering the dangers represented by sea mines adrift in the Black Sea.
The progress of joint training programmes, the participation of the Dutch military, in 2022 and 2023, in the NATO Battle Group led by France, the deployment of three unmanned MQ-9 Reaper aircraft in Romania, during 2024 - a first for the Netherlands, as well as the deployment of aircraft at the European F-16 Training Center in Romania were also discussed, their importance in strengthening regional defence and security being highlighted, the ministry says.
Regarding the support for Ukraine, minister Tilvar recalled Romania's firm support for the training of Ukrainian pilots at the European F-16 Training Center, when they will reach the level of training that will allow them to start training at southeastern Fetesti air base.
Minister Tîlvar expressed his appreciation for the robust political-military dialogue between Romania and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, through continuous support for strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence posture in the Black Sea area.
"I thanked the minister for the decision of the Government in The Hague to contribute substantially to the strengthening of the defence of NATO's eastern flank and, in particular, of the Black Sea region, by deploying troops and high-performance military equipment in Romania, including F- 16 for the European F-16 Training Center," minister Tilvar stressed.
