DefMin Tilvar: Equipping Romanian Navy with modern ships and state-of-the-art systems - a major priority

Equipping the Romanian Navy with modern ships and state-of-the-art systems is a major priority for the National Defense Ministry this year and for the period to follow, Defense Minister Angel Tilvar declared on Wednesday at an official meeting with Turkey's Defense Industries Secretary Haluk Gorgun."The consolidation of the naval military presence at sea and rivers is a major goal of Romania's National Defense Ministry, given the current and future challenges in the regional security environment and the fact that this category of forces has a major contribution to stepping up Romania's defense capabilities, as an ally bordering the Black Sea," the Romanian minister said.Tilvar underscored the importance of developing an effective defense and deterrence posture on NATO's eastern flank, highlighting Romania's commitment to increasing its defense capabilities. In this context, the Romanian official welcomed the regional security support provided by Turkey, including through the Reinforced Air Policing missions conducted by the Turkish Air Force in the Romanian airspace between December 2023 and March 2024. The sides also highlighted the importance of turning operational the Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Black Sea Task Force, a strategic initiative aimed at improving defense capabilities in the Black Sea region."Romania and Turkey have made significant progress in terms of cooperation in the defense industry," said Minister Angel Tilvar, highlighting the recent procurements of strategic equipment, including the Bayraktar TB2 systems and the cooperation with the Turkish land systems manufacturer Otokar, which is also the winner of the tender for the procurement of light armored tactical vehicles under a program that includes an essential industrial component and whereby a part of the vehicles will be produced in Romania, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.Angel Tilvar showed that, amid the significant changes on the global defense equipment market, it is "imperative" to streamline industrial cooperation activities. "Through joint initiatives, Romania and the Republic of Turkey can become more competitive actors in a complex and constantly changing security environment," added the Romanian DefMin, who also extended the invitation to Turkish defense industry companies to participate in the Black Sea Defense & Aerospace (BSDA) 2026 international exhibition taking place in Bucharest in May.The meeting occurred in the context of the two officials' participation in the IDEX & NAVDEX 2025 International Defense Exhibition and Conference held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the talks focused on strengthening bilateral defense cooperation and cooperation opportunities between the two states.Angel Tilvar visited the stands of the Turkish companies at the IDEX & NAVDEX 2025 event - specifically defense contractor ASFAT; Turkey's largest manufacturer of defense electronics ASELSAN; and leader in software solutions and advanced defense technologies HAVELSAN, encouraging them to explore opportunities for cooperation with the Romanian relevant industry.The Romanian delegation also had a series of meetings and visits to the stands of prestigious defense industry companies, particularly those specializing in naval production, such as Damen and Fincantieri, or in high-tech electronic equipment for military ships or other types of equipment applicable in this field, such as complex weapon systems producer MBDA, U.S.-based Sig Sauer or Saudi Arabia's SAMI.