Romania’s Naval Forces have received their first corvette since the fall of communism, with president Nicuşor Dan and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attending the flag-raising ceremony of the HISAR-class vessel Rear Admiral August Roman in Istanbul on June 20, according to the Romanian Presidential Administration.

The ceremony, held at the Istanbul Shipyard, marked the ship’s entry into operational service with the Romanian Naval Forces. Further procedures for the vessel’s transfer to Romania will be completed at a later stage.

Built in Turkey, the corvette is intended to strengthen Romania’s surveillance and response capabilities and contribute to collective security in the Black Sea region.

According to the Presidential Administration, the vessel is designed for operations in all naval environments, including surface, anti-aircraft, and anti-submarine warfare. It is capable of carrying out missions aimed at countering hostile actions, protecting critical infrastructure and military assets, and securing maritime communication routes.

During his visit to Istanbul, president Dan also held talks with president Erdoğan on the priorities of the bilateral Strategic Partnership, regional security, and preparations for the NATO summit scheduled to take place in Ankara on July 7-8.

Dan said Romania, Turkey, and Bulgaria would deepen their cooperation in the Black Sea following the launch of their joint mine-clearing initiative.

“As you know, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey have a joint demining programme in territorial waters, and, in Ankara, we will extend this partnership to include the submarine infrastructure in the Black Sea. This is important for us, obviously, because we have an interest in exploiting the gas in the Black Sea, but also other issues, other underground infrastructures,” president Dan said.

Romania is developing major offshore gas projects in the Black Sea, including the Neptun Deep field, which is expected to become one of the country’s main sources of natural gas production later this decade.

(Photo: Presidency.ro)

iulian@romania-insider.com