COOPERATIVE DETERMINATION 99 PRESS INFORMATION CENTRE BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

NEWS RELEASE

No. 7                                                                                CONTACT: MAJ Shappell

5 December 1999                                                                                 or Alev Bilgin

    The last Partnership for Peace exercise to be held in Romania this millennium ended today.

    The exercise, named Cooperative Determination 99, ended with a ceremony held in Bucharest’s Polivalenta Sports Hall.

    During his remarks, General Tamer Akbas, Commander of NATO's Joint Command Southeast and the officer commanding the exercise, declared the exercise had succeeded because "we molded officers from seven NATO and nine Partnership nations into a functioning multinational brigade headquarters." He told the participants they were more ready to participate in peace support operation and should return to their home countries content and proud of their accomplishments.

    General Akbas also thanked Romania, the exercise’s host nation, for its hospitality and willingness to share its culture with the exercise participants.

    Army Corps General Constantin Degeratu, Chief of the Romanian General Staff, reminded the participants that the exercise occurred during the same year as two other significant events, NATO’s Washington Summit, during which the alliance stated that the "doors were open" to further alliance expansion, and allied operations in Kosovo, which confirmed the concept of unity of action between NATO and Partner nations.

    Romanian Premier Radu Vasile declared that the efficiency with which his nation hosted the exercise demonstrates that Romania is available to take part in other important actions under NATO’s direction. He reminded the participants that Romania considers Partnership for Peace a transitional phase in the fulfillment of its strategic objective – full integration with NATO.

    Mr. Vasile informed the participants that they would always be welcomed as friends of the Romanian people.

    Following the remarks General Akbas and General Degeratu made presentations to the senior representative of each participating nation, the International Committee of the Red Cross representative and the Senior After-action Review Analyst. The ceremony concluded with a formal pass in review.

-END-