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DefMin Tilvar:Romania and Bulgaria, actively working together to strengthen NATO's Eastern Flank
Romania and Bulgaria are actively working together to strengthen NATO's Eastern Flank, National Defence Minister Angel Tilvar said on Monday, during an official visit to Sofia, at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Atanas Zaprianov, informs the Ministry of National Defence (MApN).
According to the cited source, the two officials reaffirmed a common understanding of the risks and threats to regional security, emphasizing the need to strengthen collective defence and the development of joint response capabilities. In this regard, the Romanian Defence Minister proposed to intensify bilateral military exercises, which are essential for improving interoperability between the armed forces of the two states.
"Romania and Bulgaria are not only NATO allies, but also strategic partners, neighbors and riparian states of the Black Sea, sharing the same security and defence objectives. In the face of today's challenges we must be united, strengthen our bilateral defence cooperation and demonstrate, through concrete actions, that NATO's Eastern Flank is strong and ready to respond to any threat," said minister Tilvar.
At the same time, he expressed his wish to update the legal framework in the field of defence to reflect both the current realities of the security context and the consistency and dynamism of cooperation between Romania and Bulgaria.
The two officials "strongly" condemned the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine. In this context, they discussed the measures needed to strengthen the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, emphasizing effective cooperation in the framework of the MCM Black Sea initiative.
The development of the joint project of the Regional Special Operations Component Command (HQR-SOCC) was also analyzed. In view of the very good cooperation between the three allied states in the Black Sea region, it was agreed to invite Turkey within the HQR-SOCC, with the necessary steps to be taken in the coming period.
The two ministers also reconfirmed the importance of the military mobility corridors in the region and agreed on the advancement of projects in this field.
The Romanian and Bulgarian defence ministers laid wreaths at the Central Cemetery in Sofia, at the monument of Romanian heroes who died on Bulgarian soil during several conflagrations.
On the sidelines of his visit to Sofia, defence minister Angel Tilvar also met with the Chairperson of Bulgaria's NA Committee on Defence, Hristo Georgiev Gadzhev.
Discussions focused on identifying ways to deepen bilateral and regional as well as multinational cooperation in the field of defence. The high level of joint activities carried out by Romania and Bulgaria, the excellent cooperation within NATO and the EU, as well as the joint participation in numerous military initiatives and exercises at all levels and in all categories of forces were highlighted, the MApN added.
(Photo:https://armed.mapn.ro/)