France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, Official Visit to NATO Airbase in Romania

Emmanuel Macron, the French President, arrives in Romania on June 14, on an official visit to Base 57 Mihail Kogalniceanu in Constanta.

France has roughly 500 personnel and a missile system at Mihail Kogălniceanu’s 57th Base, which commands a so-called “NATO fighting group.” Macron will pay them a visit to the military base, and then he will visit the Republic of Moldova at Chisinau on June 15.

Emmanuel Macron, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, and Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu will be welcomed at the Mihail Kogalcineanu base near Constanta, Romania’s main Black Sea port, which has become very crucial since the start of the war.

The French president will be received by Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and will meet with members of the Aigle mission, tasked with bolstering NATO’s “position of deterrence and defence on Europe’s eastern flank.” France has built a cutting-edge ground-to-air defence system in the country.

On Wednesday, June 15, Romanian President Klaus Johannis will visit the NATO base, after which French President Emmanuel Macron will send a clear message of commitment to NATO allies and European partners.

The last time a French president visited Romania was Jacques Chirac in 1998. This time, Macron intends to offer “direct solidarity (from) France” for the country most affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with which it shares a border. Also, France is supplying financial and material aid to the Republic of Moldova, which has shown “extraordinary solidarity” in admitting Ukrainian migrants, with over 480,000 crossing the border and 80,000 remainings.

According to French officials, the visit purpose of France’s president is to offer his solidarity to Romania and the Republic of Moldova, two countries that are most affected by the Ukrainian conflict.