Chief of Defense General Staff, General Gheorghita Vlad, met on Thursday, at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN), with his counterpart from the French Republic, General Thierry Burkhard, who is on an official visit to our country, MApN reports.

According to the cited source, the talks between the two officials focused on the regional security situation, the fulfillment of the conditions for reaching the final operational capability of the NATO Battle Group in 2025, the responsibilities of France’s structures deployed in Romania in order to strengthen the allied deterrence and defense posture.

General Gheorghita Vlad emphasized that, in the last two years, the excellent cooperation relations between the two armies to ensure collective defense have been reflected in the increase of interoperability between the structures and in the development of the training and training infrastructure, included.

„The Battle Group represents the materialization of Euro-Atlantic and European cohesion and unity in the face of current security challenges. At the same time, the temporary deployment of French air capabilities and the current activities of the French MAMBA Mamba air defense detachment are part of the overall allied efforts to increase vigilance on NATO’s eastern flank and in the Black Sea region,” said the Chief of Defense Staff.

The program of the visit included the meeting of the two chiefs of defense with NATO Battle Group soldiers in the facilities of the National Joint Training Center Getica in Cincu.In this context, General Gheorghita Vlad thanked his counterpart for the participation of his French partners in allied commands in Romania, in joint exercises and in NATO and EU stability missions.

The increase in the consistency of allied forces and capabilities in the states that make up NATO’s Eastern Flank is an important component of the strengthening of the deterrence and defense posture, MApN said. Thus, the Alliance has reinforced its Forward Presence by establishing battle groups in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. These strictly defensive structures are intended to deter and, if necessary, defend against any potential threat for the Allies. In our country, the role of framework nation of the NATO Battle Group has been assumed by France.

AGERPRES