The Air Forces of Romania, Bulgaria, and Spain have signed a trilateral technical agreement for the conduct of cross-border operations to protect NATO’s airspace.
The agreement was signed based on Article 12 of the Agreement between the Government of Bulgaria and the Government of Romania from 2021 and creates the possibility of participation of fighter aircraft in service of a third state in cross-border Air Policing operations, in this case the Kingdom of Spain, as informed on Thursday by the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense in a statement.
Within the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defense System (NATINAMDS), the forces declared by the Kingdom of Spain will be able to carry out air patrol missions in the airspace of Romania, where they are currently deployed, as well as, if necessary, in the airspace of Bulgaria.
The deployment of joint air police missions together with other NATO member states is part of the Alliance’s mechanisms for ensuring the security of the airspace of the countries on the Eastern Flank.
This contributes to deepening the cooperation between allies in the field of air and missile defense, and to strengthening collective defense capabilities, the institution further notes.