The following is the text of a statement issued by the Governments of the United States and Romania on the occasion of the U.S.-Romania Strategic Dialogue.
Start lesson
The governments of Romania and the United States held the Ninth Strategic Dialogue in Washington, DC on June 21, 2024. The ninth round of the Strategic Dialogue was hosted by the US Department of State and attended by high-level representatives from both governments. The meeting included sessions on regional political developments; security and defense cooperation; Black Sea security; energy security and interconnectedness; bilateral economic cooperation on trade and investment; cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs; and strengthening people-to-people ties.
The U.S.-Romania Strategic Dialogue reaffirmed our deep and growing strategic partnership. This year, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Romania’s accession to NATO, and talks between Presidents Iohannis and Biden at the White House on May 7 strengthened our relationship as allies. The United States deeply appreciates Romania’s important role in promoting Euro-Atlantic security and its leadership on NATO’s eastern flank. The United States applauds Romania’s leadership in strengthening Ukrainian air defenses, and in particular Romania’s recent decision to provide Ukraine with a Patriot system. This is a critical moment for Ukraine’s defense. The United States is committed to supporting Romania’s own defense modernization, the consolidation of its air defenses, and interoperability efforts. The United States commends Romania for the successful opening of Europe’s first F-16 Regional Training Center this year. Romania plays a vital role in strengthening NATO’s collective defense, and we reiterate our commitment to strengthening the transatlantic bond. We reaffirmed our unity ahead of the upcoming Washington NATO Summit.
During the Strategic Dialogue, the United States and Romania discussed ways to strengthen our cooperation to confront shared regional and global threats and challenges, the most urgent of which is Russia’s illegal aggressive war against Ukraine. The United States and Romania reiterated the strategic importance of the Black Sea region to Euro-Atlantic security. The United States and Romania underscored that Russia’s continued aggression has made the Black Sea region home to a number of serious threats. Both sides affirmed that this development makes coordinated, predictable Euro-Atlantic support for the region more relevant than ever. Romania and the United States are strongly committed to strengthening their efforts to ensure a secure, stable, and prosperous Black Sea region, with the implementation of the United States’ Black Sea Strategy being an integral part of this effort. The United States noted Romania’s leadership in advancing freedom and security of navigation in the Black Sea by significantly upgrading and expanding transit capacity and through its maritime demilitarization efforts.
The United States and Romania reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine. Both countries are committed to ensuring that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine remains a strategic failure. The two sides highlighted the significant progress made to support Ukraine and regional economic integration through our cooperation and joint action as part of the Danube Quint, a model of Euro-Atlantic cooperation, which has further connected Ukraine to global markets and increased regional transit capacity. The United States commended Romania’s leadership in bringing more than 50 million tons of Ukrainian grain and agricultural products to global markets. The United States welcomed Romania’s concrete bilateral assistance to Ukraine, steadfast support for Ukraine’s strategic goal of membership in the EU and NATO, and Romania’s inclusion in the G7 Joint Support Declaration for Ukraine. Romania appreciated continued U.S. leadership in assisting in the defense of Ukraine and highlighted the importance of U.S. support to Ukraine and the region in the face of Russia’s aggression. The United States and Romania reiterated the importance of support for Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure needs through the G7-Plus Coordination Group.
The two sides noted the need to work together to enhance the resilience of the Republic of Moldova as it faces the Kremlin’s hybrid threats and interference in its elections. The United States and Romania welcomed the Republic of Moldova’s continued progress on the European path and the tangible benefits it brings to all its citizens. The United States commended Romania’s continued and significant contribution to the Republic of Moldova’s energy security and agreed on continued cooperation and support to ensure further integration of the Republic of Moldova’s energy system and transportation networks with Europe. Romania noted that USAID has been a key partner in helping the Republic of Moldova diversify sources and increase its ability to import gas and electricity from suppliers to the European market.
The Romanian and U.S. delegations highlighted their growing defense cooperation. The United States praised Romania for allocating at least two percent of GDP to defense investments to meet modernization goals and improve interoperability by transitioning away from legacy platforms. Recalling that interoperability is a key NATO concept, the two sides pledged to work together to further strengthen defense industrial cooperation and ensure predictability and flexibility of procurement and supply. As NATO allies, the United States and Romania intend to continue contributing to NATO’s collective security and remain vigilant in defending NATO territory against all threats. The United States thanked Romania for hosting thousands of American and other Allied forces to strengthen NATO’s forward defense position on the eastern flank. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense and agreed on the importance and urgency of full implementation of previous Allied decisions in this regard.
Romania and the United States intend to enhance cooperation to counter the full range of hybrid threats. Both sides reaffirmed interest in deepening cooperation on arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation, building on the results of consistent cooperation in this area.
The delegations reviewed progress on energy cooperation, an important part of the U.S.-Romania partnership with regional relevance. The United States welcomed Romania’s commitment to increasing civil nuclear capacity through the construction of new reactors at Cernavoda, as well as its leadership in bringing the first small modular reactor (SMR) capacity of its kind to Europe. The United States reiterated its commitment to support and partner in the development of these projects, noting that Romania is a model for the region’s pathway toward energy independence and for developing green energy solutions. The two sides agreed to continue bilateral cooperation on offshore wind and geothermal energy, noting the adoption in April of the first Romanian law regulating offshore wind energy production with the support of the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources. They underscored the importance of energy connectivity for the resilience of the Black Sea region.
The United States and Romania evaluated progress in our economic cooperation, noting that trade and investment between the two countries have grown significantly. Both sides pledged to build on these developments to grow our economic cooperation to its full potential. The United States and Romania highlighted private sector collaboration to strengthen commercial ties, including the recent U.S. Department of Commerce Aerospace and Defense Trade Mission, the 2024 Trade Winds Europe/Eurasia Romania Mission Stop, and the upcoming Southeast Europe Energy-Transition and Energy Security Business Development Trade Mission to Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia. The United States reiterated its support for Romania’s strategic objective of OECD accession, noting the significant milestones achieved to date.
The United States reiterated its strong support for Romania’s meeting the conditions necessary to enter the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which will bring significant security and economic benefits to our partnership.
The United States and Romania plan to continue to prioritize educational, cultural, and professional exchanges. Both sides recognized the broad people-to-people ties as a collective strength and committed to advancing public diplomacy programs that promote mutual understanding across the full range of our shared priorities, including democracy, culture, and education programs. The United States appreciated the recent funding by the Government of Romania to support the Fulbright Program, which profoundly impacts lives and professional careers through education and exchange. More than 3,600 Romanians and Americans have participated in the Fulbright Program since 1960. Both sides called for more students to participate in the Fulbright Program in both directions.
The United States and Romania deepened their partnership on countering misinformation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on Countering Foreign State Information Manipulation. The United States and Romania intend to reduce the negative effects of information manipulation and support capacity development efforts with emerging partners.
The United States and Romania expressed their commitment to deepening the bilateral strategic partnership in the coming year and through future Strategic Dialogues. Romania and the United States aim to hold the next annual meeting of the Strategic Dialogue in Bucharest in early 2025.
Lesson finished
joint-statement-on-the-u-s-romania-strategic-dialogue-united-states-department-of-state
