Romania to let U.S. use its air bases for Middle East ops refuelling

In this Wednesday, June 14, 2017 file photo a journalist, backdropped by a Soviet era built MIG 21 Romanian Air Force jet fighter operates a phone while waiting for Britain's defense minister Michael Fallon's arrival at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base, Romania. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

Romania decided on Wednesday to let the United States use air bases in the eastern European country to refuel aircraft involved in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the country’s president said.

Parliament approved the measure after it was reviewed by the Supreme Council of National Defence earlier in the day. President Nicusor Dan called it a “temporary deployment of American military equipment and forces in Romania” in a statement following the council meeting.

The move would allow refuelling of aircraft and the deployment of monitoring and satellite communications equipment, Dan said.

“This is equipment that enhances Romania’s security,” Dan said. “I would like to emphasize that this equipment is defensive and that it is not equipped with weapons per se.”

The United States would be able to use the Mihail Kogalniceanu base near Constanta and Campia Turzii in central Romania for an initial 90 days, an official source told AFP.

An extra 400 U.S. troops will be deployed at each of the two bases.

Situated close to the Black Sea, the Mihail Kogalniceanu base, also known as “MK”, has the largest U.S. military presence in Romania, a key state on NATO’s eastern flank.

After Washington decided in October to withdraw some troops from the country, some 1,000 US military personnel remained, 800 at the MK base.

The U.S. military has used the base since 1999, including for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Romanian authorities are spending more than two billion euros ($2.3 billion) to extend the base and make it one of the largest in Europe by 2040.