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U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work to attend the inauguration of Aegis Ashore facility at the Deveselu military base
President Klaus Iohannis received U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work on Wednesday at the Cotroceni Palace, seat of the Presidential Administration; they discussed the Aegis Ashore Missile Defence System of Deveselu, Romania.
According to a press release of the Presidential Administration, during the talks, President Iohannis underscored that the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the U.S., especially in terms of defence and security, is a priority of foreign policy and security for Romania. The head of the Romanian state described as excellent the relationship between the two states, stressing that there are favorable premises to strengthen and deepen the Strategic Partnership.
"Romania's President and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense have particularly appreciated the implementation of the Aegis Ashore System in Deveselu, a significant contribution to the missile defence system of NATO and expression of the Romanian-American Strategic Partnership's solidity, and also the firm commitment of the U.S. in European and Euro-Atlantic security," reads the press release.
In context, President Iohannis reiterated the defensive nature of the anti-missile component in Romania, which contributes to the fulfillment NATO's main task - ensuring the collective defence of its allies.
The release also mentions that the two dignitaries highlighted the fact that the Aegis Ashore System in Romania is aimed at threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic space, an aspect communicated publicly and repeatedly at high level.
Also, both sides voiced openness and transparency during the development of the project, including on the inauguration ceremony, which will take place on Thursday in Deveselu.
In the perspective of the NATO Summit in Warsaw, President Iohannis signaled defence and security issues of interest to Romania, with a focus on ensuring security in the Black Sea region.
Moreover, the situation in Moldova and Ukraine was assessed in the current security context. During the talks, the importance of strengthening the allied presence in a balanced manner, across the eastern flank of NATO, and the relevance of implementing the U.S. European Re-assurance Initiative were underscored.
In turn, the American official reaffirmed the U.S. commitment both on Romanian-American bilateral level, as well as in the allied context in order to strengthen security and defence in the Euro-Atlantic space.
He also welcomed the active involvement of Romania in NATO's stabilization and post-conflict efforts and the significant contributions of the Romanian armed forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Western Balkans.
Robert Work sent his sympathies for the death of the two Romanian servicemen in Afghanistan.
The U.S. official is in Romania to attend the inauguration of Aegis Ashore facility at the Deveselu military base.
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In a meeting with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu pleaded for a "robust and balanced" rotational presence of American and NATO forces on the eastern flank, including Romania.
"Minister Lazar Comanescu especially appreciated the U.S. commitment to Europe's and Romania's security, also highlighted by the additional resources allocated to the European Reassurance Initiative, which allow new opportunities to develop joint defence projects. In view of the NATO Summit in Warsaw, the head of the Romanian diplomacy (...) emphasized the strategic importance of the Black Sea region. The continuation of NATO's adaptation process requires a consolidation of the Alliance's capabilities to respond efficiently to security challenges generated by the evolutions in the eastern and southern neighbourhood. The foreign affairs ministers mentioned the importance of a sound trans-Atlantic relation and the need of consolidating the relations between NATO and the European Union," reads a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
According to this document, the Romanian officials stressed the need of "additional support" by NATO and the EU to the partner states in the eastern neighbourhood, especially Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.
Deputy Secretary Work thanked for Romania's conceptual and operation contributions, both on a bilateral level and in NATO context. He conveyed the United States' appreciation of Romania's decision to supplement its defence budget, which will reach two percent of the gross domestic product in 2017; he also appreciated Romania's involvement in Afghanistan, and sent condolence for the Romanian soldiers fallen in the line of duty in that theatre of operations, on May 7.