Minister Aurescu, telephone conversation with National Security Advisor to President of the United States

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu had a telephone conversation on Tuesday with the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, Jake Sullivan, on which occasion the two high officials hailed the 10th anniversary, on September 13, of the adoption of the Joint Declaration On Strategic Partnership For The 21st Century Between The United States Of America And Romania and the signing of the Agreement on the location of the United States Ballistic Missile Defense System in Romania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informed. This moment was also marked by a joint press statement issued by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US State Department. According to the MAE, Jake Sullivan thanked Minister Aurescu for Romania's "firm" commitment to strengthening transatlantic security and promoting common values and interests, our country having an "essential" contribution to regional stability and resilience. The US official expressed special appreciation for Romania's hosting of the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Facility at Deveselu, which contributes to strengthening the common defense at the Allied level and to deterring threats. Minister Aurescu pointed out that the discussion, held on the sidelines of the symbolic anniversary moment, represents a good opportunity to assess the stage of the Strategic Partnership, which is at an "excellent" level of depth and substance, and to further develop Romania - US cooperation, on all dimensions of the partnership, based on the principles and major lines of action established by the two documents. The two high dignitaries discussed the concrete ways to further strengthen the bilateral Strategic Partnership and to consolidate the cooperation between Romania and the USA, both by intensifying the political-diplomatic dialogue, including at the highest level, and by joint steps to respond to current international challenges. The US President National Security Advisor said in this regard that the US Administration appreciates Romania's involvement and participation as the presidency of the Community of Democracies (2019-2022), which will also be relevant to the Summit of Democracies to be hosted by President Biden at the end of the year. Jake Sullivan also mentioned President Biden's participation in the virtual Bucharest-9 Summit 2021, successfully hosted by President Klaus Iohannis, in May, as well as the US Administration's special appreciation for Romania's commitment within this format. The discussion also addressed the important role of Romania in Central and South-Eastern Europe and the Black Sea, as well as the significant efforts of our country in terms of strengthening regional security and stability, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also mentions. Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania's commitment and concrete support actions in relation to partners such as Ukraine and Georgia, the dynamic and substantial involvement in regional cooperation formats, such as Bucharest 9, the Romania-Poland-Turkey Trilateral and the Three Seas Initiative, but also the commitment to common security, including through Romania's contribution within NATO. An exchange of assessments on the security situation in the Black Sea region and the persistent security challenges on the Eastern Side of the North Atlantic Alliance also took place during the discussion. In this context, Minister Aurescu pleaded for the need to strengthen NATO's position of deterrence and defense on NATO's Eastern Flank, on the Black Sea, especially through a unitary and coherent approach. "The two senior officials agreed that Romania and the USA should maintain, in the next period, a close coordination on security at the Black Sea, appreciating Romania's contribution, including at the conceptual level, taking into account its regional expertise and geostrategic position," informs MAE . Minister Bogdan Aurescu also discussed with the high US official about the coordination on the topic of NATO's adaptation and of the negotiation process of a New Strategic Concept. He emphasized once again the importance that Romania attaches to the increase of the US military presence in Romania and at the Black Sea. The head of Romanian diplomacy and the US national security advisor also addressed the issue of strengthening strategic resilience, stressing the importance of coordination with partners who share the same values and priorities, primarily at the transatlantic level, as well as the need to promote democracy, prosperity and the rule of law in the region. Minister Bogdan Aurescu mentioned, in this context, the inauguration, in Bucharest, of the Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience and highlighted the opportunities offered by this hub at transatlantic as well as regional level. Bogdan Aurescu reiterated the importance of the two major regional interconnection projects, Rail-2-Sea and Via Carpathia, promoted by Romania, including within the Three Seas Initiative, aimed at supporting economic development and military mobility, as well as the interest in the involvement, including financial, of the United States in their realization. Thus, the head of the Romanian diplomacy called for the need to consolidate the US economic and investment presence, in addition to an increased US military presence in the region. Minister Aurescu also underlined on this occasion, the significance that Romania and the Romanian citizens grant to the accession in the Visa Waiver Program. Thus, the two sides agreed to maintain a close dialogue in the next period in order to identify concrete common solutions that can contribute to tangible progress in this regard. The head of diplomacy also evoked Romania's strategic goal of joining the OECD. The US National Security Advisor thanked for the measures taken by Romania regarding the security of 5G networks and for the recent entry into force of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the United States of America regarding the cooperation on the nuclear-energy projects in Cernavoda and in the field of civil nuclear energy in Romania, our country being considered by the US Administration a regional model in addressing these strategic areas. According to the MAE, the common interest for the rapid realization of the cooperation opportunities in the civil nuclear energy sector in Romania, which will deepen the strategic dimension of the bilateral relationship, was underlined. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - editor: Simona Iacob)