The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, will pay a visit to Romania on June 15, according to sources familiar with the plans consulted by Europa FM.

President Macron will reportedly go to the military base from Mihail Kogălniceanu, in the eastern part of Romania, where he will meet with some of the French soldiers deployed to Romania. He will also meet with President Klaus Iohannis there.

The French military presence in Romania is consistent. There are about 650 French soldiers, the second-largest contingent of foreign soldiers after the American one.

The French deployment, which includes units from the 27th Alpine Hunters Battalion (27th BCA), 126th Infantry Regiment (126th RI) and the 4th Hunters Regiment (4th RCH), is bolstering NATO forces in the region. The mission also includes a naval air group, which will support the surveillance and air defence system.

The French deployment is part of the strengthening of NATO's defence and deterrence posture on its eastern flank and reinforces the solidarity between allied countries.

France leads this year's highest-readiness element of the NRF, a multinational force comprised of up to 40,000 land, air, maritime and special operations personnel that NATO can deploy at short notice as needed.

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Gints Ivuskans/Dreamstime.com)