US and the Black Sea region

Romania is a very close partner for the US, Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec reiterated

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Daniela Budu, 30.10.2023, 14:00

The Black Sea region plays an important role for NATO, and Romania is a very close partner for the United States, the US Ambassador to Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec reiterated, while on a visit to Târgu Mureș (centre).

In an interview to Radio Târgu Mureş, she said that Romania, located next to the conflict in Ukraine, has been suffering from the consequences of the conflict, whether we talk about the Ukrainian refugees who either transit Romania or are staying here, or about the transport of Ukrainian grains via Romanian Danube and Black Sea ports.According to theUS diplomat, adding to all these are the concerns generated by a war taking place at the countrys borders.

Kathleen Kavalec: „In that context, I think our defence and security relations have become even closer. We now have tripled the number of American troops in Romania, so there are now over 3,000 American troops here, and were working more closely with our Romanian partners on defence and deterrence, to defend every inch of NATO territory, should the need arise”.

In fact, Kathleen Kavalec recently stated in a security conference in Bucharest that Romania turned from a beneficiary into an exporter of peace and security, and that today the country is infinitely better prepared to protect its borders, with support from NATO and its partners, than it was just decades ago.

I know that Romanians are not unused to turning points in history, the US Ambassador also said. This is why, she added, more than 2 decades ago, at an equally critical moment in geopolitical terms, Romania made the strategic and wise decision to join NATO and the EU, choosing the path of democratic transformation.

The US diplomat also emphasised that it is vital for is to continue to invest in alliances and partnerships, starting with NATO. As we face Russias aggression against Ukraine, the Hamas attack against Israel or any other instance of global injustice, we are stronger together, Kathleen Kavalec argued.

On the other hand, while in Târgu Mureș the US Ambassador also spoke about her countrys openness to including Romania in the Visa Waiver programme, but she explained that this can only be achieved by strictly complying with the US legislation, which has very specific requirements. In this context, she also mentioned the information exchange agreements that must be completed and signed as part of the Visa Waiver programme. We are making very good progress in this direction, and hopefully we will sign an agreement as soon as possible, the US Ambassador concluded. (AMP)