DefMin Fifor: Excellent occasion to talk with US officials about defense cooperation

Defense Minister Mihai Fifor, who is on a working visit to the United States, announced on Tuesday that he had the opportunity to talk with several US officials about cooperation in the relevant field. 

"Last night, I was invited by the Commander of the US National Guard, General Joseph Lengyel, to a working meeting at his residence, and I was also able to meet other US officials such as Mrs. Major General Sheryl Gordon, Commander of the National Guard of the State of Alabama, Mr. Thomas Goffus, Secretary of Defense's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and NATO, James Mattis, representatives of the US Department of Defense and US Department of State and of US Congress. I had the excellent occasion to talk with US officials about the cooperation between Romania and the USA in the defense field, but above all with people for whom Romania is a landmark and a pillar of stability in the Black Sea region," Fifor wrote on Facebook. 

Mihai Fifor is on an official visit to the United States, where he will meet with his US counterpart at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) announced in a press release sent to AGERPRES. 

According to the same source, the agenda of the Pentagon talks includes topics related to intensifying cooperation on the defense dimension, both in the bilateral context and within the North Atlantic Alliance. 

The program of the Romanian official includes the participation in the CEPA Forum "Winning the 21st Century - Allied Strength and Solidarity," as a special guest in the panel "Beyond 2 percent: Quantity and Quality in European Defense Investments". 

"The visit includes an official meeting with Governor of the State of Alabama, Kay Ivey, on 27 September, during which discussions will focus on the excellent cooperation between the Romanian Armed Forces and the National Guard in Alabama, and the Minister of Defense will also hold a series of meetings with representatives of the US Congress to tackle priority issues on the defense agenda, focusing on the concrete ways of cooperation between the two states," reads the MApN release. 

Minister Fifor is accompanied by the Secretary of State and Head of the Department of Armaments, Andrei Ignat, as well as the Chief of General Staff of Defense, General Nicolae Ciuca.