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Minister of National Defense Angel Tilvar met on March 30 with the chairmen of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives Armed Forces committees, Senator Jack Reed and Congressman Mike Rogers, the National Defense Ministry informs.
During discussions, Minister Tilver approached the security situation in the Black Sea region and the support provided to Ukraine, amid Russia's illegal, unprovoked and unjustified invasion; bilateral cooperation perspectives and the reinforcement of the position of U.S. forces on NATO's eastern flank, as well as efforts to modernize and develop Romanian infrastructure, in line with cooperation programs with the U.S., taking into account the national commitments regarding defense budget allocations.
The Romanian official welcomed the completion of three decades since the launch of the State Partnership Program, a platform that ensured the progressive development of cooperation between the Romanian military and the National Guard of the U.S. state of Alabama.
Angel Tilvar conveyed to the chairmen of the two committees that Romania remains a reliable ally of the United States and thanked for the consistent commitment of the U.S. forces deployed to Romania in order to strengthen the security of the Euro-Atlantic space on the eastern flank, as clear proof of the solid Romanian-American strategic partnership.
The DefMin also voiced appreciation for the efforts of the American administration for developing a U.S. Security Strategy for the Black Sea, highlighting the importance of Congress validating in the next period the relevant proposal.
Angel Tilvar referred to the importance Romania attaches to respecting the pledges related to the fair distribution of responsibilities within NATO, by the allocation of 2.5 percent of the GDP for defense starting this year, of which a significant share is intended for the purchase of major equipment and research & development activities. AGERPRES
