Romanian-French military cooperation

France's Defense Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has visited Romania

Mihai Pelin, 04.11.2022, 13:50

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)