The succession is preparing. French soldiers inspect the interior of AMX-10 RC armored vehicles returning from exercise. The Belgians brick their FN Skar assault rifles. The first, notably from the 27e battalion of alpine hunters from Annecy, are preparing to give way in a few days to their paratrooper colleagues from the 8e Castres marine infantry regiment. The latter will be replaced by Dutch. It is in this in-between that Emmanuel Macron visited for the first time, Tuesday June 14, the French contingent deployed in the south-east of Romania since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Five hundred men and their equipment were thus transported by Antonov, at the rate of 28 rotations in two weeks, in order – within the framework of the international “Aigle” mission, for which France was designated framework nation under NATO command – to strengthen the Eastern flank of Europe in the face of the Russian threat. A good number of these troops are installed on the NATO base of Mihail-Kogalniceanu, near the Romanian port of Constanta, on the shores of the Black Sea, another is building the foundations of a second base in Cincu, in Transylvania , for training further inland with Romanian forces.
On his arrival at the end of the day, the Head of State visits a hangar, shakes hands. He is explained to him about the MAMBA medium-range ground-to-air defense system, capable of carrying eight missiles, which arrived less than a month ago. ” The morale is good ? », repeats Emmanuel Macron. And the interoperability [entre militaires français et belges], that works ? »he inquires, before addressing a few words to all the soldiers present. “It is a source of pride for France to be there, on this Romanian soil at the eastern outposts of Europe at a time when war is returning to the continent, emphasizes Emmanuel Macron. What we are building with Belgium is unprecedented. Defense Europe is being built here, in this partnership and this intimacy. »
“We will do everything to stop the Russian war effort, help the Ukrainians and their army and continue the negotiation, he continues. But in the long term, we will need to protect, deter and be present. In this regard, you have been pioneers of these deployments. » He thus hastily concludes a speech which will not have lasted more than eight minutes – “Ah, it’s short”, we hear in the ranks -, before belatedly sharing a meal tray typical of the country – sarmale (small stuffed cabbage), polenta and papanasi (cream and raspberry puffs) – with the troops. Welcomed by the rite said to ” dust “a goblet with a background of wine “carried within two fingers of the hatches” (lips), Emmanuel Macron, who was accompanied by his foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, and his defense counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, appeared elsewhere.
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