Romania will open an F-16 fighter pilot training center to train pilots from NATO allies and partners, including Ukraine, the office of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said Thursday.
“Today, the meeting of the [Romanian] Supreme Council of National Defense analyzed the participation of Romania in a new Trans-Atlantic project, namely the creation of a training center for F-16 fighter pilots in the country. Romanian pilots will be trained here, and later the center will accept pilots from allied states and NATO partners, including Ukraine,” the office said on the website.
Iohannis expressed hope that the regional military training center would meet the training needs of allies and regional partners, the statement said.
“The creation of this training center will not only strengthen Euro-Atlantic capabilities but also allow Romania to play a key role in ensuring security in the region,” the office quoted Iohannis as saying.
During the meeting, the president also discussed the topics for the upcoming NATO Summit in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, scheduled for July 11-12, including the security in the Black Sea region — the topic of “strategic interest for Romania, as well as the entire Euro-Atlantic security.”
“The meeting in Vilnius will also be aimed at strengthening the cooperation of NATO countries with Ukraine, including the transition to a higher level of cooperation through more intense political dialogue and based on equality,” the office said.
Romania was also ready to contribute to strengthening the alliance “both in cooperation with allies as the host nation of NATO’s multinational structures and by increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP starting this year,” the statement read.
Iohannis has earlier supported the enhancement of NATO presence in the Black Sea region to strengthen the security of the Euro-Atlantic area.
