Romania has handed over the Secretariat of the Chairmanship of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) to Greece

Romania has handed over the Secretariat of the Chairmanship of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) to Greece

Romania has successfully concluded the mandate of SEDM Chairmanship held throughout 2023-2025.

In Athens, the Romanian delegation led by the rotating Chairperson, Simona Cojocaru, Director of the Defence Policy Directorate, had bilateral talks with the Greek delegation led by the new SEDM Chairman, H.E. Ambassador Eleftherios Anghelopoulos, during which the achievements of the initiative during Romania's mandate, as well as the lessons learned during the two years, were discussed.

The major achievements of the Romanian Chairmanship include:

- approval by the SEDM Defence Ministers of the Concept for strengthening the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG), the operational vector of the initiative;

- approval by the SEDM Defence Ministers of the Romanian-led new project in the field of resilience;

- accession of the Republic of Moldova as a full member of SEDM;

- connecting with international organizations, especially the United Nations (UN).

In this context, the Romanian party wished success to the new SEDM Secretariat team, offering assurances of full support for a smooth transition and requested that the steps to revitalize SEDM, initiated by Romania, be continued by the Greek side, especially the implementation of the SEEBRIG Concept.

The handover of the SEDM Secretariat represents a first step in the process of transferring the SEDM command to the Hellenic Republic, with the official ceremony to take place in September 2025, in Kumanovo, the Republic of North Macedonia, once with the celebration of the 26th anniversary since SEEBRIG's establishment.

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Initially created in 1996 as a cooperation platform for South-Eastern European countries aspiring to Euro-Atlantic integration, the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) Process has evolved into an important regional initiative that addresses real security challenges while promoting trust and cooperation in the region.

The Press Office