Chief of the Defense Staff, General Daniel Petrescu was on an official visit to Portugal, Sunday to Tuesday, at the invitation of his counterpart, Admiral Antonio Manuel Fernandes da Silva Ribeiro, the officials analysing, in context, the regional security situation, according to Agerpres.

The visit also included meetings with the Portuguese Minister of National Defense, Maria Helena Chaves Carreiras, and with other military officials, as well as working meetings with representatives of the Joint Operations Command, informs a press release sent by the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) to Agerpres.

General Daniel Petrescu also delivered a lecture at the Military University Institute in Lisbon, on „The Security Situation on NATO’s Eastern Flank”.

The agenda of the talks focused on the dynamics of the security situation in Eastern Europe, the joint program of the Romanian and Portuguese military in our country, as well as the continuation of training in the Portuguese Republic of some pilots and technical support staff with the Romanian Air Force.

General Daniel Petrescu appreciated the contribution of his Portuguese colleagues in the effort to strengthen the deterrence and defence posture in the eastern area of NATO and the European Union. In our country, the Portuguese Armed Forces have deployed a ground detachment that increases the effectiveness of the Multinational Brigade South-East, MApN mentions.

„The effort of the Portuguese fellows is part of the general context of solidarity and allied determination to put into practice, if necessary, the principle of collective defence. The willingness of the Portuguese military to be by our side not only during training, but also at moments of celebration is remarkable, as was their presence in the National Day parade block,” said Daniel Petrescu.

In appreciation of the excellent cooperation relations between the armed forces of the two countries, Admiral Silva Ribeiro awarded General Petrescu the Medalha da Cruz de Sao Jorge, Primeira Classe.

Agerpres