PM Ciuca: Romanian-Portuguese military agreement, open to any form of cooperation in the future

The military cooperation agrrement between Romania and Portugal represents the foundation where bilateral relations in the area of defence can continue to develop, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca declared on Thursday.

In the context of the work visit in Bucharest carried out by the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa, an agreement between the Romanian Government and the Portuguese Government was signed between the Ministers of Defence of the two countries regarding defence cooperation.

"The agreement signed today by the two Ministers of Defence represents the foundation on which bilateral relations can be further developed. Of course, it may include specific elements in terms of research and development in the defence industry, but it does not include the specific elements of military industrial cooperation, because this field in our country falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy. Of course, it is an agreement that practically comes and refreshes the already existing agreement, given the new framework of bilateral military relations and is open to any form of cooperation in the future," Ciuca said, when asked in the press conference at the end of the meeting with the Portuguese counterpart if the document also includes a defence industry collaboration, aimed at developing common military equipment.AGERPRES