Întrevederea premierului Marcel Ciolacu cu Antony Blinken, secretar de stat, Departamentul de Stat al Statelor Unite ale Americii

PRESS RELEASE

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu: We want to identify new joint projects with the United States so that our Strategic Partnership is strengthened through a deep Economic Partnership

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his working visit to the United States of America.
The agenda of the meeting included topics that mainly concerned the strengthening of the bilateral relationship within the Romania - U.S. Strategic Partnership, the inclusion of Romania in the Visa Waiver Program, and issues related to security in the Black Sea area in the context of the war in Ukraine, regional connectivity and provision of regional and European energy security. A topic of interest for Romania addressed by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in the discussion with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was the role Romania can play in Ukraines reconstruction.
We want to identify the best ways to deepen and develop the bilateral relationship and to launch new joint projects so that our Strategic Partnership is strengthened through a deep Economic Partnership. The Romanian government will continue to ensure a safe and stable investment climate. We consider the Strategic Partnership with the USA and the ongoing process of our countrys accession to the OECD as important elements for forging an active role for Romania in the process of friendly shoring and establishing safe supply chains by attracting American investments, stated Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
In this context, the Romanian official welcomed the continuation of the upward bilateral trade trend in 2023 and the excellent energy cooperation through the Doicești project implementation using small modular reactor (SMR) technology. Bilateral trade exceeded 5 billion dollars last year and is about to reach a new record in 2023. The Head of the Romanian Executive stated that we want the United States to be Romanias main economic partner outside the European Union.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that Romania is a very close partner and reliable ally of the United States, and cooperation is closer than ever. We are grateful to Romania for the help given to Ukraine and for the cooperation in the Black Sea area. Our countries also cooperate closely in civil matters, we will collaborate very closely in the future as well, and the effects will be seen in the ensuing progress , stated the U.S. Secretary of State.
Regarding the inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu emphasized that Romania counts on the support of the U.S. Congress in this regard, and the signals of support coming from some of the important members of the Congress can motivate Romania to meet the necessary conditions by next year.
Evoking the perspective of the end of the war in Ukraine, the Head of the Romanian Executive argued that Romania can play a key role in the reconstruction of the neighboring country, having as main assets the advantages of security, proximity, maritime, river, railway and road interconnections - opportunities that can be of interest to American companies willing to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine. Romania will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary, added the Romanian Prime Minister, referring also to the reconstruction process.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is on a working visit to the United States of America, where he has scheduled meetings with senior American officials and American companies' representatives.

Source: Gov