Romanian and Belgian officials at Base 57

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, visited today the 57th Air Base from Mihail Kogalniceanu, together with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium, Alexander de Croo, and the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciuca.

More than 300 Belgian soldiers were deployed to Mihail Kogalniceanu in mid-March as part of the NATO Response Force, activated by the North Atlantic Council on February 25, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, welcomed the presence of the Belgian military in the air base from Mihail Kogălniceanu, together with the other soldiers from the Alliance.

The Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo, emphasized that the presence of the Belgian military, along with the allies, in the Mihail Kogalniceanu base is valuable and necessary for NATO's deterrent position on the eastern flank.

Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca stressed the need to create an effective defense post on NATO's eastern flank in response to Russia's threat.

The 300 Belgian soldiers are part of the NATO Response Force, along with the 500 French soldiers already present at Mihail Kogalniceanu.

Together with the American and Dutch contingents, they represent the Allied ground troops currently deployed at the base in Constanta County, where there are also detachments from Great Britain, Italy and Romania, which carry out Reinforced Air Police missions under NATO command.

Translated by: Radu Matei