Radio România Internațional

Tag: military cooperation

  • Romanian-French military cooperation

    Romanian-French military cooperation

    The current regional security
    challenges and allied and bilateral cooperation ranked high on the agenda for
    talks between France’s Defense Minister, Sébastien
    Lecornu, held as part of his visit to Bucharest on Thursday. The meeting with
    president Klaus Iohannis focused on the status and prospects of developing the
    Strategic Partnership between the two states, with a focus on defense, security
    developments in the Black Sea region, the EU agenda as well as the status of
    implementing the decisions adopted at the NATO summit in Madrid. Regional
    developments in the context of the Russian aggression in Ukraine were also tackled
    during the meeting the French official had with Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae
    Ciucă. The two also reviewed the serious impact the invasion has had on
    military, energy and food security, also generating instability in neighboring
    states, particularly the Republic of Moldova. Together with his Romanian
    counterpart, Angel Tîlvăr, Sébastien Lecornu visited the military base in
    Cincu, Brașov County, where the NATO battlegroup led by France is carrying out
    training exercises alongside Romanian forces. The two also attended the opening
    of the Collective Defense Battlegroup headquarters. The battlegroup currently
    comprises military from France, the Netherlands and Belgium. Defense
    cooperation remains key, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine, and
    we must provide an answer to this unprecedented security challenge, Romania’s
    Defense Minister, Angelo Tîlvăr said.


    Security developments and the challenges we are facing
    demand a stronger EU, that should supplement NATO’s efforts to ensure European
    stability and security. France and Romania have constantly supported this goal.
    The situation in Ukraine once again highlighted the importance of EU-NATO
    complementarity, as the EU plays a key role in supporting Ukraine as part of an
    integrated approach.


    In turn, Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that the Black Sea
    has become a conflict area and a concern for NATO and EU states. France has
    dispatched the first convoy of military equipment, consisting of armored
    transport vehicles, which arrived some two weeks ago in Romania. The second
    convoy of Leclerc tanks is expected to
    arrive this month. With an estimated value of 10 million EUR, the Leclerc tank is considered highly
    effective in ground combat and has a high accuracy rate, capable of hitting a
    target from a distance of 4 kilometers. At present, the French battalion in
    Romania comprises 350 military, considering the chief of General Staff said
    France is expected to send a total of 500 troops and equipment. (VP)

  • November 29, 2017 UPDATE

    November 29, 2017 UPDATE


    MINIMUM SALARY – The Romanian Government on Wednesday decided to increase the minimum gross salary from 1450 to 1900 lei, the equivalent of some €410. According to specialists, the measure will stimulate employment and discourage illegal work. Romania is currently faced with a serious shortage of workers, especially in construction, agriculture, IT and health-care. Maintaining the current level of penalty point under the totting up system is also on the agenda of the Executive. As the value of this point is calculated depending on the minimum salary, maintaining its current level has been proposed to prevent traffic fines from growing excessively.



    MILITARY – Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor and US Ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, attended Wednesdays signing of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the purchase of Patriot missile systems. Minister Fifor thanked the USA and said Romania would become an important ally for NATO. The surface-to-air Patriot missile system will become operational by mid-2020. Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on Monday ratified the law on the purchase of Patriot missile systems, after last week the Chamber of Deputies adopted it as the decision-making body. Romania plans on purchasing seven Patriot missile systems worth $3,9 billion.



    NORTH KOREA – Romanias Foreign Ministry has firmly condemned the launch of a new ballistic missile by North Korea, labeling it a threat to regional and international peace and security. North Koreas repeated challenges are violating the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the Ministry also writes, calling on North Korea to prevent the situation from further escalating and resume dialogue with the international community. North Korea has announced the successful testing of a new type of inter-continental missile, which can hit any part of the US territory. The test, carried out after a two-month break, has been condemned by the US, Japanese and South-Korean authorities, as well as by the European Union. The UN Security Council has called an emergency session to discuss new sanctions against Pyongyang.



    INVESTMENT – European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu has approved two new investment projects in road and water infrastructure, worth some €252 million. €76 million from the European Regional Development Fund will be invested in works on the European road E 79, which will link Romania to Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece. Also, some €176 million from the Cohesion Fund will be invested in water management and distribution infrastructure in urban areas in Vrancea County, in the east.



    MINIVACATION – Thursday is the first day of a 4-day mini-vacation, occasioned by the celebration of Saint Andrew, Romanias patron saint, and Romanias National Day on December 1. Romanians have chosen to spend this extended weekend in the country, mostly in resorts on Prahova Valley, in Bukovina, in the north and in spas. The average budget allocated for such trips is approximately €170 per person. On the other hand, the Romanians who have chosen to go abroad will spend on average €320 per person. On December 1, Romanias National Day, the main event on the celebration agenda is the military parade in Bucharest, which will be attended by some 3,500 military staff, fighter jets and military vehicles.



    CANADA – The Romanian Defense Ministry has recalled that, as of December 1, Romanian citizens will be able to travel to Canada visa free, for periods of maximum 6 months, for tourist purposes. Those who intend to travel by plane will have to first get an Electronic Travel Authorization – eTA. The others will only have to have a valid passport. The Romanian Foreign Ministry hails the decision made by the Canadian authorities to liberalize the visa-regime for the Romanian citizens, the outcome of years of diplomatic cooperation, also with the participation of the European Commission.



    HANDBALL – As of December 1st, Germany will be hosting the World Womens Handball Championship. Romania is part of Group A, alongside France, Spain, Slovenia, Angola and Paraguay. On December 2nd, in their first match, the Romanian squad will take on the team of Paraguay. At the previous World Championship, in 2015, Romania won bronze. The Romanian team is the only team to have participated in all the 22 editions of the World Championship held so far. (Translated by M. Ignatescu & V. Palcu)

  • The USA and its NATO partners

    The USA and its NATO partners

    Initially perceived as suspiciously lenient to Moscow and excessively critical of Brussels, US President Donald Trump has assigned to his staff the mission to correct this public perception. Last week, the new US Defense Secretary, James Mattis met with his NATO counterparts in Brussels, warning that if it wants to resume its cooperation with the United States and NATO, Russia must abide by international norms. He made it clear, “we are not in a position right now to collaborate on the military level, but our political leaders will engage and try to find common ground”.



    On the other hand, Mattis also warned that “the US could “moderate” its commitment to NATO if other member states fail to meet the requisite spending targets”. On Monday, also in Brussels, the new US Vice-President, Mike Pence said that the new administration in Washington pursued the preservation of Western values and supported the unity of Europe. It was the first visit that Mike Pence paid abroad and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker has hailed this symbolic gesture.



    The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk said that the meeting with the US Vice-President had been “truly needed”. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, Mike Pence told the press that he spoke on behalf of president Trump. “Whatever our differences, our two continents share the same heritage, the same values and above all the same purpose, to promote peace and prosperity through freedom, democracy and the rule of law, and to those objectives we will remain committed.”



    Mike Pence also reiterated the importance of trans-Atlantic trade and the US commitment to ongoing cooperation. A priority of both sides is fighting terrorism as well as the defense of the EU states’ territorial integrity — was the message reiterated by Pence after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “In the wake of Russian efforts to redraw international efforts by force, we will support efforts in Poland and the Baltic states through NATO’s enhanced forward presence initiative” — Mike Pence said.



    He warned again that the American people could lose patience with NATO members if they did not share the burden of defense, which was a viewpoint also shared by Stoltenberg. “Europeans cannot ask the US to commit to Europes defense if they are not willing to commit more themselves” — NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg said. He called again on all member states to honour their military spending pledges, in terms of achieving the 2% defense spending target. We recall that Jens Stoltenberg congratulated Romania for its effort to allot 2% of the country’s GDP to defense. (Translated by A.M. Palcu)