The Romanian Foreign
\nMinister, Bogdan Aurescu, and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had a
\ntelephone conversation on topics of priority interest for the bilateral
\nStrategic Partnership, in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine and
\nefforts to combat its effects. The dialogue also took place in preparation for
\nthe eighth round of the Strategic Dialogue between Romania and the USA, which
\nwill take place in March, in Bucharest. In the context of the one-year
\nanniversary of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, they discussed its
\nprofound global effects, as well as joint efforts to counter them. The head of the
\nRomanian diplomacy made a review of the very comprehensive and multidimensional
\naid granted to that state by Romania since the beginning of the war.<\/p>\n
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In turn, the US Secretary
\nof State particularly thanked Minister Aurescu for the concrete, substantial and essential support given by
\nRomania to Ukraine. In terms of regional security, the two officials
\nhighlighted the importance of continuing the coherent and consistent
\nstrengthening of NATO’s Eastern Flank, and Bogdan Aurescu conveyed his
\nappreciation for the US commitment to the defense of the entire Allied
\nterritory, including in the Black Sea region and in Romania, expressed also on
\nthe occasion of the Bucharest 9 summit in Warsaw. The two heads of diplomacy
\nalso addressed opportunities for strengthening resilience in the Black Sea
\nregion through a strategic approach that would ensure, in a sustainable manner,
\nthe free, safe and prosperous character of the Black Sea and strengthen its
\nstatus as a key commercial and energy route. <\/p>\n
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On the other hand, Bogdan
\nAurescu emphasized the major impact that Russia’s war of aggression against
\nUkraine has on the Republic of Moldova and reaffirmed Romania’s firm, continuous
\nand unconditional support for the
\nRepublic of Moldova, for strengthening its resilience and security and for its
\nEuropean journey’. At the same time, he reiterated the key importance of
\nRomania’s inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program. <\/p>\n
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Against the background of
\nsecurity challenges in the region, Romania wants to acquire a battalion of
\nAmerican Abrams tanks, which usually has 54 such armored vehicles. The decision
\nwill be subject to Parliament’s approval. Military experts consider this
\nthird-generation tank to be extremely effective. Its price starts at 10 million
\ndollars. Representatives of the Romanian Foreign Ministry have also spoken about
\nprocurement
\nin the naval field. Also, it is estimated that all F-16 aircraft will be delivered
\nin 2024, after the contract for the purchase of 32 such aircraft from Norway
\nwas signed last year. Currently, the Romanian Air Force has 17 F-16 aircraft,
\nbought from Portugal and modernized with the help of the USA, as well as older
\nMIG21 LanceR aircraft of Soviet origin. (MI)<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and his American counterpart Antony Blinken had a phone conversation against the background of Russia’s war against Ukraine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":90275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[40830,13794,36540,29541,40829],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-94933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-bucharest-9","tag-nato","tag-romanian-foreign-minister-bogdan-aurescu","tag-strategic-partnership","tag-us-secretary-of-state-antony-blinken"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n