The military presence of the United States of America in Romania is an essential pillar of security for the Eastern Flank and a clear sign of allied solidarity, said on Tuesday the Minister of National Defence, Angel Tilvar, who had a meeting with the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Bucharest, Michael Dickerson at the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) headquarters.

„Our strategic partnership with the US contributes decisively to deterring threats and defending common values,” the minister said, according to a MApN press release.

The discussions focused on the main areas of bilateral cooperation in the field of defence, with an emphasis on coordination within NATO and strengthening the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States, shows the cited source.

The two officials highlighted the high level of political-military cooperation and dialogue, as well as their shared commitment to strengthening deterrence and defence on NATO’s eastern flank.

Romania’s strategic importance as an ally with significant contributions to Euro-Atlantic security in the Black Sea region was reconfirmed at the meeting. The active role of Romania in strengthening collective defence was also highlighted, including through the allocation of the necessary resources for the development of capabilities and the modernisation of the armed forces, in full accordance with NATO’s objectives on the fair sharing of responsibilities, the Ministry of National Defence mentioned in the release.

In view of the 2025 The Hague NATO summit to take place June 24-26, Minister Tilvar reiterated the need to increase national defence budgets in order to achieve the new capability targets. Romania has reaffirmed its firm commitment to these objectives, supporting joint efforts to strengthen the defence posture and stimulate the defence industry at the allied level, the Ministry of National Defence further conveyed.

AGERPRES