Two F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the Romanian Air Force escorted, for approximately 30 minutes, a TAROM aircraft that provided transportation to Bucharest of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and his retinue, Agerpres reports..

„Special thanks to Romanian Air Forces MApN Romania for welcoming the plane bringing Jens Stoltenberg, NATO delegation and allied ambassadors to Bucharest for ForMin Bucharest meeting starting in one day. Looking forward for consistent discussions, including for the security at Black Sea,” Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu wrote on Twitter.

Aurescu posted on Twitter a photo taken from the Tarom plane carrying the NATO retinue in which an F-16 plane of the Romanian Air Force can be seen.

„The Romanian Air Force carried out on Monday, November 28, an air escort mission using TAROM aircraft that provided transportation to the NATO delegation participating in the meeting of the NATO foreign ministers, an event that will take place in Bucharest on November 29 and 30. Two F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, belonging to the 86th Locotenent Aviator Gheorghe Mociornita Air Base at Borcea escorted, for approximately 30 minutes, the TAROM aircraft from the entry into the country until landing at the Henri Coanda International Airport at Otopeni. The mission to ensure the safety of the flight of the aircraft that transported the NATO delegation was carried out at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was executed in complete safety, in full compliance with the requirements and legal provisions,” the Romanian Defence Ministry (MApN) announced on Monday.

Bucharest becomes this week, between November 28 and 30, the capital of European and Euro-Atlantic diplomacy.

The NATO ministerial meeting will be hosted, on behalf of Romania, by Aurescu.

Also, on Monday and Tuesday, the Munich Leaders Meeting (MLM) will convene in Bucharest as well. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is co-organiser of this prestigious event, which is a reduced format of the Munich Security Conference (Munich Security Conference – MSC).

Agerpres