ForMin Toiu, în Washington: Transatlantic partnership - cooperation, coordination and complementarity

 Romania's perspective on the global strategic competition defining the current international system was presented on Thursday by Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Oana Toiu during a discussion hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington.According to a Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) press release sent on Friday, the Romanian official argued that this competition, driven by technological, geopolitical and geo-economic developments, will continue to shape the international environment for at least the medium term.'Revisionist powers act as force multipliers and influence each other, putting pressure on American and Western interests in multiple regions of the world simultaneously. Oana Toiu explained Romania's vision of a transatlantic partnership characterised by cooperation, coordination and complementarity among all its components: within NATO, in the EU partnerships with the United Kingdom and Canada, and in Romania's bilateral partnerships with the United States, the UK and Canada,' the press release reads.The Romanian minister highlighted the importance of the Black Sea region, located at the heart of strategic competition, where the actions of the Russian Federation, both prior to and especially following the aggression against Ukraine, illustrate the potential consequences in other regions of the world if such aggression is not sanctioned. Oana Toiu advocated for specific attention to the Black Sea when establishing a new synergy within the transatlantic relationship.Toiu also underlined that the Romania-United States Strategic Partnership serves as a source of solutions to regional issues and presented how Romania contributes to building resilient energy supply chains through its own production of electricity and natural gas, as well as through its role as a key node in North-South and East-West connectivity projects supported by the US.Joint initiatives in the nuclear energy area, such as the SMR Doicesti project, will further enhance the American presence in the European energy market. She also mentioned Romania's role as a logistics hub in Ukraine's reconstruction process and in the implementation of the US-Ukraine Agreement on critical minerals, the release further shows.At the same time, the Romanian official underscored that all these opportunities can only be realised if the Black Sea region remains a safe, open and free space. Oana Toiu outlined Romania's contribution to regional security through the strengthening of its own military capabilities and associated logistics facilities, participation in demining efforts alongside Bulgaria and Türkiye, and the development of the local defence industry.The Foreign minister also stressed the need for a stable US military presence in Romania, highlighting the benefits this presence brings to the United States in terms of projecting power in and around Europe, and pointing out that the presence of American troops in Romania reduces the cost of protecting US interests in Europe and adjacent areas. (Photo:https://www.mae.ro/)