Romania-US diplomatic talks

The foreign secretaries of Romania and the United States review stage of bilateral relations in strategic areas.

Eugen Coroianu, 31.03.2021, 14:00

Romania will remain a strong and reliable
strategic partner for the United States as well as a committed NATO ally,
foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu assured his US counterpart Antony Blinken in a
phone conversation on Tuesday. From Washington, the new American secretary of
state praised Romania for being a robust member of NATO and for its commitment to
the consolidation of Black Sea security.

According to a statement from the
Romanian foreign ministry, the talks underlined the importance of coordinating
with partners who share the same values and strategic priorities and the need
to promote democracy and the rule of law, including by strengthening strategic
resilience at international level. The discussions also focused on the bilateral
cooperation currently under development in the civilian nuclear field and the
efforts to diversify the gas supply sources for Europe, with the importance of
the strategic gas reserves on the Black Sea continental shelf being mentioned in
this connection.

Secretary of state Blinken conveyed
his country’s appreciation for Romania’s progress with respect to the rule of
law, the reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, which are
also relevant in a regional context. He emphasised that these measures have a
decisive contribution to creating an attractive business and investment
environment for American economic partners, highlighting that developing the economic
relationship with Romania remains a priority.

On the other hand, the 2020 report
of the State Department, cited by Radio Romania’s correspondent in Washington, warns,
among others, that Romania is still struggling with widespread official corruption.
The report notes that the judiciary took steps to convict and punish officials
who committed abuses, but that the authorities did not have effective
mechanisms to enforce the punishments and delayed proceedings involving alleged
police abuses and corruption, which resulted in many cases of acquittals.

Going back to the telephone conversation
between the Romanian foreign minister and the US secretary of state, the former
made the case for the US’ financial involvement in various projects in Romania,
emphasising that, apart from an increased military presence in this country and
the region, it is also necessary for the US to consolidate its economic and
investment presence. Aurescu also called for speeding up the Visa Waiver scheme
for Romanians and expand cooperation in combating phenomena with negative
impacts, such as human trafficking. The two officials also spoke about the tenth
anniversary of the coming into force of the agreement on the installation of
the US missile defence system in Romania, and the fifth anniversary of the moment
when the missile defence facility in Deveselu, in southern Romania, became
operational. (CM)