The Ambassador of Romania to the Hellenic Republic, Mrs. Carmen-Ileana Mihalcescu, paid an official visit to the island of Crete from September 4 to 7, 2026, during which the 'Mircea' and 'Regele Ferdinand' ships were also in the port of Souda, informs the Romanian Embassy in Athens on Tuesday.

According to the same source, the visit is part of the embassy's efforts to strengthen bilateral relations at local and regional level and to further deepen Romanian-Greek cooperation in the political, economic, commercial, military, cultural and tourism fields. The Head of Mission was accompanied by Mr. Andrei Stanisoara, representative of the Commercial and Economic Promotion Office within the Romanian Embassy in Athens.

A central element of the visit was the presence in the port of Souda of the Romanian Navy training ship 'Mircea', a symbol of Romania's naval tradition, excellence and prestige, which was in port from September 5 to 8, 2026, 2026, on its return from a transatlantic training voyage.

On September 6, the Embassy of Romania hosted a reception on board the ship, attended by representatives of the local, civil and religious authorities, the Hellenic Armed Forces, the diplomatic and business communities, as well as members of the Romanian community in Crete.

In her remarks, Ambassador Carmen-Ileana Mihalcescu highlighted the particular significance of the 'Mircea' returning to Greek waters - the ship's fifth visit to Greece, following previous port calls in Piraeus, Thessaloniki and Crete - as well as her role as an 'Honorary Ambassador in the Service of Romania' and an 'Ambassador of Sustainable Romania.'

The Ambassador also underscored the excellent Romanian-Greek cooperation within NATO, including between the armed forces of the two countries, at a time when maritime security and the role of naval forces are becoming increasingly important in the current geopolitical context.

The reception also provided an opportunity to recall the history of the 'Mircea', with the participation of Ms. Ruxandra Cocea, granddaughter of Lieutenant Commander Ion Stoian, who served as the ship's commanding officer from 1946 to 1949.

On September 7, the Ambassador of Romania visited, in the port of Souda, the Romanian Navy frigate 'Regele Ferdinand', which is participating for 40 days in NATO's SEA GUARDIAN operation in the Mediterranean, for the first time in the capacity of flagship.

During discussions with the operation's command, Ambassador Carmen Mihalcescu emphasized the importance of the presence in Greece of one of the main combat ships of the Romanian Naval Forces, in a country with which Romania enjoys excellent cooperation, both within NATO and bilaterally.

Also on September 7, Ambassador Carmen Mihalcescu met with Panagiotis Simandirakis, Mayor of Chania. The discussions highlighted the importance of developing direct cooperation between local communities in Romania and Greece, with a focus on the economic dimension, identifying new opportunities for cooperation and strengthening trade and investment exchanges.

The Ambassador also underlined the potential for joint projects in the fields of culture, tourism and people-to-people contacts, which could contribute to bringing communities closer together and making the most of the already strong ties between Romania and Greece. In this context, the excellent integration of the Romanian community in Crete was also highlighted, with the island having become a true 'second home' for many Romanians. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mariana Ionescu; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)