DefMin Ciuca, Estonian counterpart Luik discuss security on NATO's eastern flank

The security situation on NATO's eastern flank was a matter discussed at a videoconference meeting of Romania's Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca and his Estonian counterpart Juri Luik. According to a press statement released by Romania's Defence Ministry (MApN), they also discussed the state of bilateral defence co-operation, the latest developments in regional security, current issues on NATO and EU agendas, as well as the transatlantic relationship. "During the talks, the two ministers discussed the security situation on NATO's eastern flank, emphasising the importance of continuing the process of consolidating NATO's position, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The Romanian official underscored the strategic importance of the two regions to the security of the NATO, pointing out the opportunity for deep co-operation among the NATO member states in a security context characterised by multiple challenges." Ciuca is quoted as having highlighted the importance, the national efforts and the latest developments in making operational some NATO multinational structures on Romania's soil, especially the headquarters of the Multinational Brigade South-East in Craiova and the Multinational Corps South-East Command in Sibiu. The Romanian official welcomed the added value to cyber defence of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD CoE) in Tallinn, Estonia. Regarding cooperation within the European Union, developments in and prospects for EU initiatives were addressed, with emphasis on the Permanent Structured Co-operation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF). The importance of NATO-EU cooperation was underlined, from the perspective of ensuring the complementarity of current projects and initiatives. At the end of the talks, the two officials highlighted the interest in developing bilateral defence co-operation, with Ciuca also voicing readiness to continue developing co-operation programmes in areas of common interest, such as military education and cyber defence. AGERPRES (RO - author: Mihai Stoica, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Cristina Zaharia)