Romanian and Dutch defence ministers Angel Tilvar and Ruben Brekelmans on Thursday signed a letter of intent in The Hague, reaffirming the two countries’ commitment to strengthen and expand collaboration within the Romanian F-16 Training Centre.
„We are determined to support the training of pilots from allied and partner states within this modern centre, which also uses the 18 F-16 aircraft provided by the Dutch side,” Tilvăr wrote on Facebook on Friday.
This, he said, proves that defence investments are essential for the security of the Black Sea region.
„The joint efforts of Romania, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the support of Lockheed Martin represent a concrete example of collaboration to strengthen defence capabilities,” added Tilvar.
The Romanian minister appreciated that over a year after the operationalization of the F-16 Centre, „the results are clear”: both Romanian and Ukrainian pilots benefit from an advanced training programme.
„We will continue to expand these activities, directly contributing to the security of the Romanian Air Force and our partners,” said Angel Tilvar.
The minister wrote on the social media platform that during his official visit to The Hague, he discussed with his Dutch counterpart, Ruben Brekelmans, about deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries, as well as about the coordination of efforts within NATO and the European Union to strengthen security.
The main topics discussed during the meeting referred to the preparation of next year’s NATO Summit, which will take place in The Hague, as well as concrete measures to support Ukraine, in the context of the Russian aggression.
„We also discussed the challenges posed by hybrid threats to European security, underscoring the importance of strengthening national resilience and international coordination to deal with them,” Angel Tilvar added. AGERPRES
