Financiarul

A delegation of the Romanian Ministry of National Defence (MApN) headed by Viorel Oancea, Secretary of State for Defence Policy and Planning on Monday, November 16, participated in Brussels in the high-level NATO – Ukraine consultations. The consultations have an informal character being held on an annual basis, on the level of defence ministers, according to the provisions of the NATO-Ukraine Charter for a Distinct Partnership.

There will be approached such topics related to the strategic defence review and the defence and security sector reform in Ukraine, reads a release of the MApN.
In this context, Romania reaffirmed its support for Ukraine’s aspirations related to Euro¬Atlantic integration, according to a decision adopted by the NATO heads of state and government at the summit in Bucharest.

Moreover, Secretary of State Viorel Oancea is going to participate over November 16-17 in the meetings of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (CAGRE) and of the European Defence Agency (EDA) steering committee, in the context of Sweden holding the Presidency of the EU.

There will be evaluated at the meetings of the defence ministers the conceptual developments regarding the management of the situations of crisis, the current stage of the operations along Somalia’s coastline to combat piracy, the initiation of the future mission to prepare the Somali security forces, projects and initiatives in the field of military capacity carried out under the coordination of EDA, as well as such aspects related to the implications of the Treaty of Lisbon for the defence field, ahead of the close coming into force of the document, on December 1, 2009.

There will also be discussed at the meeting of the EDA steering committee the main projects of the Agency, as well as EDA’s agenda for 2010. On this occasion, there would be adopted two political statements related to the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EMARs) and transparency increase and ensuring of an equitable competitive environment on the European market of defence equipment.

There will also be approached such matters related to the evolution of the EU FOR ALTHEA mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina and there would be approved the Conclusions of the Council on Common Foreign and Security Policy/ European Security and Defence Policy, reads the abovesaid source.