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Romania's ForMin Aurescu meets head of U.S. Missile Defense Agency Syring
Romania's Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Tuesday met head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Vice Admiral James D. Syring, to emphasize the importance attached by Romania to ballistic missile defence and full implementation of its bilateral project with the United States, which is said to be a component of utmost importance in the security dimension of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries.The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) reports in a press statement that the meeting of the two officials was held on the side-lines of the 2015 Multinational Ballistic Missile Defence Conference in Seville, Spain.
Also attending their meeting was Vice Admiral James G. Foggo III, Commander, 6th Fleet; Commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO; Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe; Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa; and Joint Force Maritime Component Commander Europe.
Aurescu is quoted as having emphasized that the part of the U.S. ballistic missile defence system deployed to the Deveselu base in Romania is an essential contribution to NATO's ballistic missile defence capabilities amidst proliferation of the threats in the area.
In their conversation, the officials reviewed the latest developments in the US ballistic missile defence system deployed to Romania, with Vice Admiral Syring reconfirming the U.S. firm commitment to the missile defence facility at Deveselu becoming operational by end-2015, as works there are nearing completion. At the same time, he reiterated that the agreement on the Iran nuclear file will have no effect on the establishment of the missile defence system, which continues on schedule.
"As a former negotiator on behalf of Romania for the missile defence shield, I am glad to see that the efforts of the Romanian diplomacy for negotiations and the finalisation of an agreement to the point in 2011, then of implementation arrangements followed by excellent cooperation at military level with the U.S. in their implementation become a reality in a very short time as the missile defence facility at Deveselu becomes operational," MAE quotes Aurescu as saying in the statement.
The two officials also exchanged opinions on the integration of the facility with the NATO missile defence system. Together with four Aegis ships of the U.S. deployed in Rota, Spain, the Deveselu missile defence facility will allow NATO ballistic missile defence capability to reach a new level by the time NATO meets in a summit meeting in Poland. To this end, the joint objective should be declaring the initial capability of the NATO system at the summit meeting next year.
Aurescu is also quoted as hailing the visits of the U.S. Aegis ships to the Black Sea, underscoring the importance of NATO navy exercises continuing in the Black Sea while preserving a substantial presence of the U.S. Navy in the area amidst the developments in Ukraine, as part of NATO's reassurance measures. Vice Admiral Foggo voiced the U.S. clear commitment to continuing a robust U.S. presence in the Black Sea in the known regional context.