Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin met with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Minister of National Defense Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă in Bucharest on Wednesday, October 20. In both meetings, Secretary Austin reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Romania strategic partnership and NATO’s Eastern Flank and recognized Romania’s leadership in the Alliance on responsibility-sharing, according to a statement provided by the Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.
“The leaders marked the 10-year anniversaries of both the bilateral Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration and the bilateral Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement that paved the way for Europe’s first Aegis-Ashore site established five years ago. The Secretary also discussed Russia’s malign activities in the Black Sea region, cooperation among Black Sea regional Allies and partners, and new challenges presented by the People’s Republic of China. Minister Ciuca and Secretary Austin spoke at length about defense modernization. They agreed that implementing the bilateral 10-year Roadmap for Defense Cooperation is key to achieving this aim.
The Secretary concluded his visit to Romania by meeting with rotational U.S. forces deployed to Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base near the Black Sea coast. He thanked our servicemembers for their dedication and working with our Romanian Allies to help ensure deterrence and security along NATO’s Eastern Flank.”
Romanian Minister of Defense Nicolae Ciuca discussed with his US counterpart on the NATO priorities in the perspective of the meeting that starts on Thursday in Brussels, bilateral relations and military acquisitions, informed the Ministry of National Defence
Ciuca welcomed Romania’s being granted the Dependable Undertaking status, which facilitates access to the latest American technology, highlighting the development of significant projects for the endowment of the Romanian Army in relation to the USA, based on the relevant budget allocations of 2% of GDP: ground-to-air missiles (PATRIOT), the multi-shot missile launcher system (HIMARS), the F16 multi-role aircraft, the Piranha 5 armored personnel carriers and the mobile anti-ship missile launcher system, a press release of the MApN reports.
The Romanian DefMin voiced appreciation for the significant American investments at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base and Campia Turzii, as well as to the Cincu and Babadag Shooting Grounds, worth over 225 million US dollars.
The two officials also addressed current issues on the Alliance agenda, which will be on the table at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
“The Alliance is preparing for the Madrid Summit at the end of June 2022, with a view to defending common positions on adapting the Alliance, which is also known as the NATO 2030 process, and on strengthening a position of deterrence and defence effective in countering threats to Allied security, regardless of their origin,” said Minister Ciuca.
He reiterated the importance Romania gives to strengthening Allied cohesion and the transatlantic relationship: “We want the Alliance to remain strong and able to protect all its members and respond to their concerns. That is why for Romania, the transatlantic relationship is an important pillar of our defence policy”.
In his turn, Lloyd J. Austin stated that the U.S.-Romania relationship is based on trust and mutual respect and the political will to promote common goals in the field of defence, the MApN informs.
The U.S. Secretary of Defence thanked Romania for its support and commitment to host, on a rotating basis, a significant number of U.S. troops, emphasizing Romania’s leading role in the region in ensuring its essential infrastructure against adverse actions.