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ForMin Aurescu, US officials discuss Ukraine war developments.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu welcomed received on Friday US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard R. Verma, and US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Jessica Lewis, accompanied by US Ambassador to Romania Kathleen Kavalec, told Agerpres.
According to a Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) press release sent to AGERPRES, the consultations addressed developments regarding Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the coordinated support that Romania and the US offer to the neighbouring country on all levels, as well as to strengthen Moldova's resilience.
Minister Aurescu underlined the substantial progress made in the last year by the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US, highlighting the role of Romania as a predictable and reliable partner of Mashington.
"From the perspective of Romania's priorities on the bilateral agenda, the head of the Romanian diplomacy mentioned the importance of continued coordination at the transatlantic level, strengthening regional resilience, cooperation in the area of defense, continued implementation of energy projects and access to the Visa Waiver Program. He thanked the US for its contribution to strengthening NATO's Eastern Flank by substantially increasing the US military presence in Romania," the release reads.
He also underlined the importance of the progress achieved in 2022 in the implementation of the Cernavoda power plant project and the Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMR) project in Doicesti, achievements with an impact on the strengthening of the Romanian-US bilateral cooperation in the area of new technologies, with potential also at regional level.
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, the head of the Romanian diplomacy highlighted the significant support provided by Romania to the neighbouring country and stressed that Bucharest will continue its multidimensional support efforts for Ukraine as long as necessary.
The Romanian Head of Diplomacy also mentioned Romania's intensive outreach efforts to third countries, highlighting recent bilateral discussions with counterparts from India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, on the sidelines of the EU Ministerial Forum on the Indo-Pacific region he recently attended, as well as discussions with African states.
Regarding the situation in the Republic of Moldova and the bilateral and multilateral support still needed for this state, Minister Aurescu underlined Romania's "essential" contribution to ensuring Moldova's energy security and the joint cooperation projects in this area.
"He also highlighted the importance of the measures adopted at the European Union level to support the authorities in Chisinau, including the new sanction regime proposed by the Romanian Foreign Minister and recently created, as well as the EU civilian mission also recently established. Coordination on sanctions was agreed. Minister Aurescu also also praised the US efforts to increase Moldova's resilience. He also highlighted Romania's constant and firm support for the common European path of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova," according to the press release.
Minister Aurescu also presented the need to implement the decisions of the NATO Summit in Madrid and Romania's objectives for the Vilnius meeting, with a focus on strengthening forward defence on the Eastern flank.
The Department of State delegation presented the US perspectives on the topics discussed, stressing the importance of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US, as well as Romania's regional leadership role, the MAE said.
The US representatives also reiterated the US firm commitment to strengthening resilience in the region, including to the Republic of Moldova, stressing that the US has significantly increased its assistance to this country, including for its energy security.
At the same time, the US officials underlined their strong support for Romania's progress on the Visa Waiver file.
They also mentioned the US interest in strengthening bilateral Romanian-American cooperation in the Black Sea region, welcoming Romania's expertise and its substantial contribution to the development of the US Black Sea Strategy.
