National Defence Minister Angel Tilvar participated November 16 – 17 in the South Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) meeting organized in Sofia under the Bulgarian Chairmanship of the initiative; on this occasion, the Romanian official emphasized the need for a coordinated effort to strengthen regional cooperation in support of Ukraine, as well as of the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, the National Defence Ministry said in a release, according to Agerpres.

In his address to the meeting, Tilvar condemned in „firm” terms the Russian Federation’s premeditated, unjustified and unprovoked war against Ukraine.

The meeting looked at the status of the initiative projects and approved a series of planning documents regarding the activity of the SEDM operational component, specifically the South-East European Brigade (SEEBRIG). Proposals were also formulated regarding SEEBRIG’s potential involvement in peace missions, as well as in multinational exercises organized by NATO and the EU.

Angel Tilvar reiterated Romania’s determination to contribute even more actively to the development of ongoing projects under SEDM’s auspices, including by capitalizing on the opportunities of training SEEBRIG forces in military training facilities of the Ministry of National Defence.

The heads of the national delegations participating in the meeting in Sofia adopted a joint declaration highlighting both the need for strengthening this regional cooperation format and develop the subsumed projects, as well as the impact of the war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and its implications on regional security.

On the sidelines of the SEDM meeting in Sofia, Tilvar had bilateral meetings with his Moldovan, Bulgarian and Georgian counterparts, with whom he reviewed the stage of military cooperation, mentioning at the same time the need to continue joint efforts for the consolidation and expansion of collaborative and support relations with the three partner states. The implications of the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine were also assessed.

Bilateral talks with Moldovan counterpart Anatolie Nosatii focused on the reiteration of the multidisciplinary support provided by Romania and on the commitment to continue all projects and programs in progress or whose development has already been approved. In this context, Minister Nosatii requested counseling and support for the establishment of military capabilities that would be able to participate in international missions.

Minister Tilvar expressed the availability to support such initiatives, including by supplementing the number of openings needed for personnel training in Romania.

During the meeting with the Bulgarian counterpart Dimitar Stoianov, the main bilateral cooperation projects were reviewed, with an emphasis on the elements and actions that can concretely contribute to its consolidation in the short, medium and long term. The consistency of the bilateral cooperation plan, joint training activities and the multinational exercises, the exchange of personnel in the multinational structures located on the other state’s territory, the applicability of the bilateral agreement for air policing missions carried out in the common border area were the main topics discussed.

Also, the two officials agreed on the need to ensure mutual support for the promotion of common interests within the Euro-Atlantic and international structures; the special interest in the completion as soon as possible of the bilateral agreement on war graves and war memorials was also highlighted.

The meeting with the Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze was a very good opportunity to reaffirm Romania’s commitments regarding the constant support offered for this Transcaucasian country’s Euro-Atlantic course. Both sides highlighted the importance of the Black Sea in the current regional security context, as well as the need to intensify bilateral defence cooperation.

Agerpres