ISTANBUL

Romania is considering commencing the manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in collaboration with Ukraine, with technology transfer options already discussed with a senior defense official in Kyiv, the country's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry said in a statement issued the day after Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta met with Ukraine's First Deputy Defense Minister Sergiy Boyev.

"During the meeting, the officials discussed the possibility of developing/manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles in direct collaboration with Ukraine, and technology transfer options were also addressed," the statement noted.

It stressed that the talks focused on exploring ways of cooperation between the two countries "in the context of the Strategic Partnership recently signed by the presidents of the two countries and the implementation of the 'Security Action for Europe' Financial Instrument (SAFE)."

"The project benefits from 200 million euros through the SAFE Program, in co-production, and we wish the MoND to be a centerpiece in this collaboration, not just a beneficiary. Therefore, we are currently discussing how to make up a team to deal exclusively with this project, the signing deadline of the contract being the end of May," Miruta said.

He noted that they will benefit from Ukraine's experience gained on the battlefield and "from the fact that it will have personnel and infrastructure available to produce state-of-the-art equipment whenever needed."

"It will also be an advantage for Ukraine, namely the fact that Romania's participation in the SAFE Project will finance the production of drones," Miruta added.