The training and counseling missions carried out by the Romanian military deployed in Iraq have been interrupted, following the decision taken at the North Atlantic Council Meeting on Monday, January 6, to temporarily suspend the training mission of Iraqi troops amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday, January 7.

“Thus, to ensure the safety of the personnel, the 14 Romanian soldiers who were on mission in Iraq will be temporarily relocated to another coalition base,” the ministry announced, local Hotnews.ro reported.

The missions of the Romanian military focused on training Iraqi trainers in the military system, advising the officials of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and other institutions responsible for reforming the security sector, and increasing the operational capacity of the Iraqi army.

The situation in Iraq, after the elimination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by the United States, also concerns Romania, which has many citizens living and working in the Middle East area and in Iraq as well as military in this country, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday. Iohannis called for “a calm, diplomatic approach” for de-escalation and return to calm in this area.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Ilkin Guliyev/Dreamstime.com)