Ankara - AGERPRES special correspondent Oana Ghita reports: Interim Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Tuesday that he had asked his Ukrainian counterpart to ensure that any Ukrainian drone is programmed to self-destruct if it accidentally enters Romania's territorial waters.

The minister attended the NATO Security and Defence Industry Forum (NSDIF), held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.

'I officially asked Ukraine's defence minister to ensure that it becomes standard practice for any drone launched over the Black Sea and manufactured in Ukraine to be pre-programmed to self-destruct if, for any reason, it accidentally enters Romania's territorial waters. This can be achieved by programming the drone in advance, even if communication with it is later lost. It is an autonomous decision that the drone's microprocessor can make even if there is no longer any communication with the aircraft,' Miruta said.

He also said discussions are under way on increasing the deployment of air defence capabilities in Romania, particularly following the recent drone incident in Galati, adding that talks with three countries on the issue are at an advanced stage.

'The final decision rests with the countries that choose to do this. Discussions with three of these countries are at an advanced stage but, as this is a sensitive issue in each of them, it is appropriate to allow them to announce that they have completed their internal procedures before confirming the deployment of additional capabilities here,' the interim minister said.

He added that Romania had also requested additional low-altitude detection and surveillance equipment from its allies. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Florin Marin; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)

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