ForMin Aurescu had phone consultations with US national security adviser Sullivan, Bucharest Nine officials

Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu had Thursday evening a round of phone calls with Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to the US President, and with Foreign Ministers and other senior officials of the Bucharest Nine (B9) format."Today's discussion focused on the complex developments in NATO's eastern neighborhood and the Black Sea, following recent diplomatic efforts to ease security tensions on the Ukrainian border, as well as further preparations of the dialogue with the Russian Federation with a view to de-escalating this situation through diplomatic means, without affecting the values and fundamental principles of the Alliance," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a release.Bogdan Aurescu conveyed thanks on Romania's behalf for President Joseph Biden's announcement about the increase of the US military presence on the eastern flank, including in Romania, in the event of a deterioration of the security situation. Aurescu said that this commitment of the US "is particularly important" to Euro-Atlantic security as a whole, the Black Sea region also included."The Romanian Foreign Minister emphasized the need to continue in a consistent and unitary manner efforts to strengthen the Allied deterrence and defense posture on the eastern flank, with a view to ensuring a credible deterrence. In this context, he stressed the importance of de-escalating the security situation, as well as the fact that unjustified threats of force and attempts to undermine the current parameters of the European security architecture remain unacceptable. At the same time, Minister Aurescu reiterated the importance of transatlantic unity, support for partners, as well as the importance of NATO's open door policy," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.Bogdan Aurescu welcomed the frequency and substance of in-depth consultations between the US, Romania and the European allies as part of the Bucharest Nine (B9) format "which send a clear and firm signal" on the US and NATO's strong commitment to the security and stability of the eastern flank allies."The in-depth exchange of views and assessments reaffirmed the usefulness of the Bucharest Nine format for consultations and allied coordination, as talks took place in the wake of President Klaus Iohannis's December 9, 2021 discussion with President Joe Biden, of Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu's talks with Jake Sullivan and senior officials of the Bucharest Nine format of December 16, 2021, and of the discussion US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had with officials of the Bucharest Nine (B9) countries on January 3, 2022," the release states.