Defence Minister: Romania remains fully committed to efforts to maintain a secure climate in the Western Balkans

Romania will remain fully committed to efforts to maintain a secure and stable climate in the Western Balkans, Defence Minister Angel Tilvar said on Wednesday during a visit to the EUFOR Althea Headquarters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Defence Ministry informs in a release.

Angel Tilvar and Chief of Defense Staff, general Daniel Petrescu, met on Wednesday at the Camp Butmir military base in Sarajevo with the Romanian troops participating in the EUFOR Althea operation, with the Commander of the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Major General Helmut Habermayer (Austria), and with the Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Pamela McGaha (US).

"Placed among the top contributing countries to the EUFOR Althea operation, Romania will remain fully committed to efforts to maintain a secure and stable climate in the Western Balkans, a region of strategic importance for us. We are very proud of the exemplary way in which the Romanian personnel carry out their tasks and we will continue to be involved in this mission assumed by the European Union," Minister Angel Tilvar said, as cited in the release.

In his turn, the Chief of the Defense Staff praised the constant military training process taking place within the EU mission to increase the cohesion and interoperability of the force in this theater of operations. General Petrescu brought to mind that, starting in May, the position of EUFOR Althea Chief of Staff will be filled by a Romanian.

In the second part of the visit, the Defence Ministry's leadership met with the detachment made up of over 200 Romanian troops of the Althea force.

The Romanian contingent participating in the EU operation in BiH has the largest share of the total Romanian troops deployed on foreign missions. General Daniel Petrescu underscored that Romania has one of the most substantial national military contributions to the EUFOR Althea force, and that the responsibility with which the Romanians carry out their mission reflects in the performance of the operation overall.