Envoy: Romania asks Türkiye to jointly produce Bayraktar drones

Turkish ambassador to Romania Ozgur Kivanc Altan has said that the nation has asked Türkiye to consider joint production of Bayraktar drones.

"In 2023, Romania bought 18 units of our Bayraktar TB2 combat UAVs. Their deliveries will continue this year and next. Romania has a request for co-production of these products," he said in an interview with Anadolu Agency, TASS reports.

According to the ambassador, there are several pending tenders in the defence industry and cooperation with Romanian companies is very important for Turkish companies. Altan also noted that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will arrive in Bucharest on January 31. These issues are expected to be on the agenda of his visit.

The ambassador said that within the framework of NATO work, Türkiye "protects Romania's airspace with 4 F-16 airplanes and about 80 military personnel." Given the conflict in Ukraine, he said, "the threat of sea mines has emerged, which concerns everyone."

"In this context, on the initiative of Türkiye and with the participation of our allies from Romania and Bulgaria, it was decided to realize joint actions to detect and, if necessary, destroy these mines. On January 11, the relevant memorandum was signed in Istanbul," he recalled.

Mines drifting in the Black Sea have repeatedly reached the ports of coastal countries and have come close to the mouth of the Bosporus Strait. In this regard, Türkiye has co-initiated the establishment of a joint group that could work on mine clearance in the sea.

In September 2023, the working and technical delegations of the three countries began direct contacts and developed the text of a trilateral memorandum.