Leader of Republican minority in the US House of Representatives pays visit to Romania

The visit to Bucharest of the leader of the Republican minority in the US House of Representatives is an important signal of support for Romania, which once again proves the impeccable transatlantic unity in the face of Russian aggression, Speaker of the Deputies Chamber, Marcel Ciolacu, and leader of PSD (Social Democratic Party) said on Monday.The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies received a delegation led by Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republican minority in the House of Representatives of the United States, on Monday."This visit is an important signal of support for Romania proving once again the impeccable transatlantic unity in the face of Russian aggression. In this context, we discussed the support of an advanced unitary NATO presence on the Eastern flank. We must focus all of our attention and resources on collective defence and it is crucial to have a coherent and long-term defence, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook.At the same time, he specified that he underscored Romania's intention to get involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war."It is a natural duty for a state that proves to be a good neighbour, as well as a huge economic opportunity for Romanian companies. In this EU-US funded project, Romania must resolutely assume the role of regional leader," the PSD leader said.At the same time, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies believes that Romania must accelerate and make concrete progress in eliminating energy dependence on Russian resources.   Also Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca had a meeting on Monday with a US Congress delegation led by Republican minority leader Kevin Mc Carthy.According to a press release of the government, the talks focused on the situation caused by the military aggression in Ukraine, the management of the flow of refugees in the context of the humanitarian crisis, and the effects on the region."Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca mentioned that Romania has provided support to Ukrainian refugee citizens in our country, as well as to the Ukrainian authorities, by involving and coordinating society's efforts with those of state institutions. The government has prepared a second stage of response to the refugee crisis, their social integration, respectively, by ensuring Ukrainian citizens who stay in Romania the right to work and the right to education for their children and youth. Moreover, the Prime Minister also presented the Government's prospects from now on and the importance of increasing the American presence in Romania and the defence and deterrence posture in our country, ahead of the NATO Summit in Madrid," the same source specified.At the same time, the Romanian Prime Minister underscored the importance of bilateral collaboration for the building of groups 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant and the technological transfer of SMR - small modular reactors."The head of the US delegation, Senator Kevin Mc Carthy, assured that he will return to Washington ready to plead for the urgent American support for Romania at all required levels: the American technological transfer at the level of SMRs, the financing solution for the Cernavoda nuclear reactors and the other programmes, which take into account nuclear knowledge and the existence of skilled labour, as well as the prospect of developing technology and use across Europe. Moreover, there will be also added elements of support for strengthening the Eastern flank, on-time deliveries of equipment and the approval of the technological transfers in the matter that will be requested by the Romanian side," it is shown in the press release.Representatives of the US Senate thanked Romania for the "exemplary" way in which it managed to mobilize to manage the refugee flows, the Government mentions in the same press release.