Minister of National Defence Radu Miruta stated on Friday—following the docking at the Port of Constanta of the corvette 261 'Rear Admiral August Roman,' the new vessel joining the Romanian Naval Forces—that 'this is a fantastic thing that has happened for the Romanian Army after 35 years.'

Miruta returned to Romania after attending the Istanbul Summit, aboard the new corvette purchased by the Romanian state from Turkey.

'It is a mark of respect for the troops of the Romanian Armed Forces and a well-timed opportunity, as the date of my departure from the Ankara Summit coincided with the day this corvette set sail for Romania. It is a fantastic development for the Romanian Armed Forces to see a new corvette enter service after 35 years. This acquisition took place because I am committed to ensuring that whatever we procure is built in Romania to the greatest extent possible; however, we must strike a balance, as meeting certain commitments—both at the NATO and European levels—requires us to acquire capabilities more quickly. This corvette was delivered in less than six months,' the Minister of Defence stated.

According to this, the other four vessels contracted by the Romanian Army will be built in Romania at a cost of nearly one billion euros.

'Given the decision I have made and the sequence of events leading up to it—specifically, building the four ships at the Mangalia-2 Mai Shipyard—my aim is for this order, worth nearly one billion euros, to restore the shipyard's competitiveness. An added advantage is our status as an EU member state; it is the largest shipyard in the European Union. And yes, if we succeed, the Romanian state will also secure effective management for the facility. It seems all the necessary ingredients are in place: high-performance technology, orders from the Romanian state, and domestic production. If, after processing one billion euros through this shipyard, it fails to survive beyond these four orders, the fault will lie with no one but the state itself for failing to ensure competitive management,' said Radu Miruta.

He stated that, once purchased from Turkey for 223 million euros, the corvette is set to be fitted with military equipment through the European Safe funding program.

'So, in addition to the 223 million euros this corvette cost, it is set to receive low-altitude air defense capabilities and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Then there is that much-discussed capability: the NSM anti-ship missiles. These cost around 47 million euros in total. In my estimation, it will take seven to ten months before installation can begin (...). They will be installed while the ship is docked, as the vessel is already prepared. (...) There is a platform on board ready for the installation of these capabilities, and it needs to happen as soon as possible,' the Minister of National Defence added. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nona Jalba; EN - writing by: Catalin Cristian Trandafir)