US Ambassador in Bucharest ends term in office, meets ForMin Bogdan Aurescu

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu on Monday received, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), the farewell visit of the Ambassador of the United States to Romania, Adrian Zuckerman, whose term in office has come to an end. Aurescu voiced the appreciation of the Romanian side for the activity of Ambassador Zuckerman, during his mandate in Bucharest, for his dynamic involvement in the development and strengthening of the bilateral Strategic Partnership, shows a MAE press release sent to AGERPRES. On this occasion, the head of the Romanian diplomacy reviewed the achievements in 2020 of the cooperation between the Romania and US, based on the substantial political dialogue at a high level and including concrete progresses in such fields of common interest, including the development of the economic and energy component of the Strategic Partnership, through the conclusion of an intergovernmental Agreement in the nuclear energy field and the progress made in identifying sources of financing for strategic projects in this field or major projects in regional interconnection, such as Rail2Sea and ViaCarpathia. The two officials also expressed their satisfaction over the cooperation that the two countries had in the defence and security field, through the signing of a Roadmap for 10 years regarding cooperation in the Defence area between Romania and the United States, which formalizes the bilateral strategic priorities and ensures the adequate framework for the development of capabilities and the required military training level. The Romanian Minister also reiterated, in this context, the importance of increasing the US military presence in Romania. Bogdan Aurescu underscored the necessity that the bilateral dialogue continues at the same pace so as to capitalize on the existing opportunities, while voicing conviction that the new American administration will support the further strengthening of the Strategic Partnership with Romania, considering that this objective enjoys a bi-partisan support. The head of the Romanian diplomacy highlighted that, in its turn, Romania remains firmly committed to advancing the objective of strengthening the Strategic Partnership with the US, which is one of the fundamental pillars of Romania's foreign affairs, and the expansion of the US presence and investments in the bilateral relation with Romania, at all levels, mainly the military, political, economic and technological levels. Aurescu also shows that in 2021 the two countries celebrate 10 years since the adoption of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the United States of America and since the coming into force of the Agreement regarding the deployment of the US anti-missile defence system to Romania, which offers more opportunity for the further development of the bilateral relation. Moreover, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation in obtaining concrete progress regarding Romania's accession to the Visa Waiver program. He also highlighted the need for the bilateral working group's activity on this topic, which was agreed by Minister Bogdan Aurescu with the US Secretary of State, on the occasion of the visit to Washington DC in October 2020, to continue. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Mihai Simionescu, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)