The Minister of Defense, Angel Tilvar, had a meeting on Tuesday, in Abu Dhabi, with the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Korea, Kim Seon Ho, in the context of the visit that the Romanian official is paying to the United Arab Emirates February 17-19.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Defense, during the discussions with the South Korean side, the progress of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the Republic of Korea was highlighted, in terms of defense, with the two ministers having discussed the intensification of bilateral collaboration at the military level, but also in the extended framework generated by the contacts and joint projects focused on endowing the Romanian Army with advanced hardware and technologies.
Angel Tilvar recalled that, in the context of constantly allocating, since 2017, at least 2% of GDP for defense - a percentage raised last year to 2.5% -, Romania remains consistent with the strategic vision of modernizing its armed forces, through investments in cutting-edge technology, including by taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the strategic partnerships developed with allied and partner countries, the cited press release states.
"All major endowment programs of the Romanian Army have been developed, since the foundation phase, along the lines of consolidating the national defense industry, by encouraging industrial cooperation of Romanian business operators in this field with large companies from allied and partner countries. The establishment of production or maintenance capacities on Romanian territory, resulting from these types of cooperation, ensures not only the transfer of state-of-the-art technology, but also allows the establishment of highly qualified jobs. These objectives are part of the need to strengthen national defense capabilities, in the current security context, by securing the production flows of military equipment and ammunition and ensuring the maintenance of essential equipment on national territory", the Romanian minister was quoted as saying in the press release.
Tilvar emphasized that a landmark moment in the consolidation of relations between the two states was the signing, on April 23, 2024, of the Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the Republic of Korea - the first document of this type concluded between the two countries.
Minister Angel Tilvar also highlighted the significant participation of South Korean companies in the Black Sea Defense, Aerospace and Security 2024 exhibition, held in Bucharest, and welcomed the interest shown by them in investments in the Romanian defense industry, with important economic and social benefits for our country.
Minister Angel Tilvar's official program in Abu Dhabi includes talks with the Minister of State for Defense, Mohamed Bin Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, scheduled for Wednesday, as well as participation in the International Defense Conference IDEX & NAVDEX 2025.
The International Defense Conference IDEX & NAVDEX 2025, which is taking place from February 17 to 21 in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of over 1,500 companies from 41 countries, represents a point of reference in the military and economic fields, promoting state-of-the-art technologies and facilitating the development of international cooperation in the defense industry. The event represents a strategic platform for strengthening international cooperation in the defense field and for promoting the latest technologies in the industry, the Romanian Ministry of Defense informs.
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