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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes on Monday the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Romania - U.S. Strategic Partnership.
"Appreciating the efforts made in the last 25 years since its launch and welcoming the progress made in 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its conviction that the Strategic Partnership will continue to develop, capitalizing on all the opportunities and significant potential of the bilateral relationship. Romania will stay a reliable ally and strategic partner to the U.S. in managing current regional and global challenges, and a strong supporter of transatlantic unity, which is essential for the security and prosperity of our states and concretely benefits our citizens," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Strategic Partnership with the U.S. was launched on the occasion of the visit to Bucharest of U.S. President William J. Clinton.
"Agreed upon at a stage in Romania's history where efforts to integrate into the Euro-Atlantic community of security and values were gaining consistency, the Strategic Partnership with the U.S. provided an efficient framework to support domestic efforts for political, economic, military and administrative reform. Ever since its launch, the Strategic Partnership with the U.S. has been an essential landmark of the Romanian foreign policy, becoming one of its basic pillars, to which membership of the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union added later, as well as a strengthened role of Romania within these organizations that are essential for us," the Ministry's statement reads.
It goes on to note that in the last 25 years, the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the U.S. has maintained as its main goals "advancing the interests and prosperity of Romanian and American citizens, the democratic development of Romania and the joint promotion of transatlantic values in our neighborhood and beyond, close cooperation on defense and security, and increasing the capacity to respond to regional and global challenges, taking into account Romania's role as a factor of stability and provider of security in South-Eastern Europe."
"The foundation of the Strategic Partnership remains a strong commitment to democratic values, including the rule of law, the rule-based international order, the market economy, respect and promotion of human rights, and the facilitation of close human ties between Romanian and American citizens," the statement says.
The Foreign Ministry mentions the key landmarks that have led to the development of the bilateral relationship with the U.S., but also to the permanent adjustment of the Strategic Partnership, indicating the adoption on September 13, 2011, in Washington D.C., of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the U.S., and the signing of the Agreement between Romania and the United States of America on the deployment of a U.S. ballistic missile defense system in Romania.
"The Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century is the first bilateral political document governing the Strategic Partnership with the U.S., which subsequently led to the organization in Bucharest and Washington D.C. of the annual Strategic Dialogue meetings, while the Ballistic Missile Defense System Agreement is the first bilateral legal document that mentions the Strategic Partnership," shows the Foreign Ministry.
According to the cited source, the close and substantial security and defense cooperation has permanently strengthened and is a vital component of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the U.S.
"The growing relevance of this dimension of cooperation has been even more highlighted amid the illegal, unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. As a result of this aggression and of the intensified security risks to our country, the U.S. has decided to increase within short its military presence on the Romanian territory, including by moving a Stryker brigade team to Romania and by the deployment of F-16 and F/A-18 aircraft to support the Enhanced Air Policing missions in Romania," the Ministry goes on to note.
The statement also references the recent announcement by U.S. President Joe Biden regarding the further increase of the military presence in Romania.
"Thus, including with the support of the United States, and together with other allies who have made similar valuable decisions, we are moving towards a coherent, more effective and stronger deterrence and defense stance on NATO's eastern flank," the source said.
The Foreign Ministry also shows that significant progress has been made in terms of economic cooperation - another crucial dimension of the Strategic Partnership with the U.S. - which offers common but also regional advantages, stimulates economic growth and contributes to increasing the prosperity of both states.
"Bilateral trade has set a new record in 2021, while American investments in Romania continue to grow and diversify," the Ministry notes.
Energy security, particularly civilian nuclear power, represents a strategic area of cooperation. The Foreign Ministry brings to mind that the foundations of this new dimension of bilateral cooperation were laid by the signing in December 2020 of the Agreement between the governments of the two countries on cooperation on the Cernavoda nuclear power projects and on Romania's civil nuclear power sector.
Another milestone mentioned in the release is the establishment, in 2021, by President Klaus Iohannis and the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, of the landmarks of cooperation with the U.S. in the field of Small Modular Reactors (SMR).
"This cooperation will generate advantages related to the value chains that will be created around the SMR technology and to the reduction of Romania's energy dependence," the cited source mentions.
It goes on to note that facilitating close interpersonal ties between Romanian and American citizens is another priority goal of the Strategic Partnership and that in this sense, Romania and the United States have pledged as a joint goal Romania's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program.
"The genuine friendship and firm alliance between Romania and the United States are grounded and amplified by the presence in the U.S. of a large Romanian community which is well integrated and actively contributes to the development of economic, academic and cultural ties between our countries," the Foreign Ministry's release states. AGERPRES
