Romanian President Nicuşor Dan used a post after joining President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Istanbul ceremony for the handover of the Hisar-class vessel CAm. Roman to signal that the visit also served as a broader political and security consultation focused on the Black Sea, defence cooperation and NATO coordination.
The two leaders had come together for the ceremony at Istanbul Shipyard Command (ITK), where the vessel entered Romanian service, but Dan’s subsequent posts showed that Bucharest was framing the visit as more than a ship handover. While some of his messages focused directly on the induction of the vessel, a separate post accompanied by a photo with Erdoğan from the Hall of Honour pointed to a wider political and strategic discussion held alongside the event. The detail stood out because the Turkish Presidency’s official account shared the same photo while keeping its message focused on the vessel ceremony itself.
In that post, Dan said he had held an “excellent discussion” with Erdoğan focused on expanding Romania-Türkiye cooperation across security, the economy, energy and infrastructure. He described Türkiye as a “vital partner” for Romania and went further by calling it “a vital partner for the EU as a whole,” citing Ankara’s role in Black Sea security architecture and European defence.
The Romanian president also linked the visit directly to Black Sea operational cooperation. He said the two countries would continue working together to ensure freedom of navigation and security in the Black Sea, specifically referring to efforts to counter maritime drones through the MCM Black Sea initiative and to increase maritime security awareness. He presented that cooperation not only as a bilateral security effort, but also as a contribution to NATO’s deterrence and defence posture on the Eastern Flank.
The emphasis suggested that Bucharest was using the Istanbul visit not simply to mark a naval procurement milestone, but to underline a broader strategic consultation with one of Romania’s key regional security partners. The reference to maritime drones was particularly notable, reflecting how Black Sea naval cooperation is increasingly shaped both by the operational lessons of the Russia-Ukraine war and by more traditional concerns such as mine warfare and sea lane security.
Dan also said the two sides had agreed to deepen security cooperation ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara, with particular focus on Ukraine, Black Sea security and the protection of critical infrastructure. He added that they had expressed a shared interest in supporting a durable peace process in the Middle East.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
