Quotable 'In the News'

March 24, 2015
Re: the long period without an American ambassador in Bucharest after Mark Gitenstein ended his mission on 14 December 2012. Referring to this issue, Mark Taplin (ex-U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission in Bucharest 2005-2008) admitted that it is indeed “an exceptional period” that nevertheless has nothing to do with the quality of bilateral diplomatic relations, but with what he called a “gridlock” previously unseen in the recent history of the US, a gridlock caused by the fight between the Republicans, who are now in control of Congress, and Democratic Party President Barack Obama.
“We’ve been through a rather exceptional period where a lot of nominees, for the posts of ambassadors, federal judges as well, had been kept on hold much longer than we have ever seen. We never actually had an experience like this, historically speaking,” the American diplomat underscored. “The situation in Romania is not exceptional, it doesn’t have anything to do with our relationship. In fact, it stands in contrast to this close relationship with Romania. It’s an anomaly,” said “private citizen” Taplin.
From Nine Oclock (March 24, 2015)

March 4, 2015
Director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigations James Comey made his first visit to Bucharest since he was appointed at the FBI in the autumn of 2013. His predecessor Bob Mueller paid his last visit to Romania in 2011. Mueller underscored that Romania and the United States have a collaboration relation vital for the fight against terrorism and crime. This was true back then and it became even truer now, as the Romanian-American partnership has developed over the past three years, the FBI head continued. He also said he felt privileged to be in Bucharest for the celebration of one of FBI’s best partnership in the world.
From Nine Oclock (March 4, 2015)

The Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan
thanked former Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) director George Maior (photo L) for the cooperation between the two agencies. According to a release sent by Maior to Agerpres on Tuesday, Brennan telephoned him to voice the appreciation for his contribution to the consolidation of the partnership with the United States in the strategic field of information, to the interest of the national security of both countries, of the region and of the world.
From Nine Oclock (March 4, 2015)

December 14, 2014
Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Sunday during a meeting with a U.S. House of Representatives visiting delegation led by Congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, stressed Romania's interest in deepening the Strategic Partnership with the United States, also noting that Romania and the U.S. will celebrate 135 years of diplomatic relations next year. According to a press release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), the members of the U.S. Congress voiced appreciation for the Strategic Partnership signed with Romania, and for Romania's capacity as United States' friend and staunch ally in the region. Bogdan Aurescu brought to the fore the operationalization next year of the anti-missile facility hosted by the Deveselu Romanian base, one of the most important common projects of the politico-military dimension of the Romania-US Strategic Partnership.The Romanian minister also requested the U.S. Congress representatives to support Romania’s entry in the Visa Waiver programme.
From Nine Oclock (December 14, 2014)

November 20, 2014
“Romania is a country of opportunities, rich in both natural and human resources. But to take advantage of these opportunities Romania must continue to progress in key areas,” Dean Thomson, the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Romania remarked ... “Romania’s youth need the prospect of well-paying jobs that will incentivize them to stay here rather than take their skills abroad. They need the confidence that the taxes they pay are spent wisely, and that they and their offspring can live in a corruption-free country where decisions are made transparently, predictably, and based on stable and sound economic reasoning. Romania’s youth know that the country will only realize its full economic potential with the inclusion of all citizens,” Thomson explained.
From Romania-Insider (November 20, 2014)

June 5, 2014
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel comments during meeting with Romanian Defense Minister Mircea Dusa: “I wanted to visit Romania to make clear that the United States appreciates Romania’s contributions to security in the region and around the world. Romanian troops served with honor in Iraq. Some 1,200 remain deployed in Afghanistan, and the United States is grateful for Romania’s steadfast commitment to the NATO mission there, especially as your nation marks 10 years of NATO membership. America recognizes the sacrifices of Romanian troops – and their families – over the past decade of war.” Source: US Embassy

May 19, 2014
Vice President Joe Biden (Bucharest visit): "It is clear for us that the Romanians are devoted allies and I have never doubted it as far back as efforts were being made for Romania to join the NATO. You have always been reliable partners," said the American official, giving as an example the servicemen that fight in the theatres of operations. "I think you are the best generation of combatants your country has produced. … You can rely on us. …" full article

March 13, 2014
President Basescu meets with Exxon/Mobil: "Johnny Hall, the executive vice-chairman of Exxon/Mobil Exploration, acknowledged the conditions for making oil and gas investments in Romania and the Romanian Government’s efforts to encourage the development of projects in the Romanian section of deep waters of the Black Sea,” a Government press release notes. [Romanian news website Hotnews.ro suggests a link between the current talks with president Basescu and that agreement, on the background of the tensions in Ukraine and Crimea region.]
Source: Nine O'Clock; more background details

February 27, 2014
“It is an obstacle in the way of business if Romanians and Americans can’t travel with ease between the two countries, but at the same time it is important to remember that our inability to adopt a more streamlined visa legislation has nothing to do with Romania and everything to do with the debate regarding immigration law and the western hemisphere. It is a shame that Romania is not included in the Visa Waiver Program“, commented Eric Stewart, President of the Romanian-American Business Council.

January 21, 2014
Romania and other Eastern European countries that are dependent on Russia for their energy supplies, are currently working on forming a lobbying coalition to convince the U.S. to allow them to import natural gas. Two U.S. trade associations, namely America’s Natural Gas Alliance and the American Petroleum Institute, have not yet committed to the effort but are currently discussing it.
“We certainly are interested in Eastern European markets and we are considering the best way to work with those countries to bring them America’s clean and abundant natural gas, but we have not yet reached a formal agreement to work with one group or another in that endeavor,” according to ANGA spokesman Dan Whitten, quoted by the National Journal.

January 11, 2014
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland statement upon her visit to Bucharest
"
The United States has a profound interest in the continued development of the rule of law, justice, economic openness, nd transparency in Romania. As the Foreign Minister said, we discussed those issues today. We will always be open about the United States’ profound interest in the continued reform and democratic trajectory of Romania, and in the interest we have in seeing rule of law strengthened, because a strong, democratic, prosperous Romania is the best partner for the United States, the best NATO ally, and the best EU member in service to all of the global responsibilities that we share and our strategic partnership."
Source: US Embassy, Bucharest, Romania

November 29, 2013
The American Chamber of Commerce Romania says it more than 350 members have USD 20 billion of investments in the country, contributing 11.2 percent to the gross domestic product in 2011. AmCham’s “Impact Study” also found its member companies had created 200,000 jobs. Valeriu Nistor, AmCham Romania President, said: “The Impact Study results confirm AmCham’s representativity and relevance and compels us to remain an active promoter of a stable, predictable and competitive business climate.”
SOURCE: Romania-Insider

October 24, 2013
Vice President Joe Biden reaffirmed the enduring U.S. commitment to a strategic partnership with Romania and thanked the Prime Minister for Romania’s steadfast support on a range of regional challenges, including in Afghanistan and its hosting of a missile defense base in Deveselu in support of key NATO capabilities”, reads a press release of the White House, after Biden and Ponta official meeting in Washington on Tuesday.
According to Agerpres, Premier Victor Ponta said in Washington that during the talks he held with Tom Holst, the president of Chevron Romania, he reiterated the fact that the Government he had been heading was determined to support all the explorations of nonconventional resources, namely shale gas.
SOURCE: Nine O'Clock

October 20, 2013
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta in Washington, D.C .: “Our objectives are to reaffirm the political and military strategic partnership and the prospects for cooperation in the period ahead, but also the economic partnership, since the visit also has an important economic side, namely meetings with the representatives of the major companies having already invested in Romania or possibly have investment plans; I am speaking of three important fields: energy, IT and the modern equipment and engineering industry. We will also have meetings at the Congress with those representatives directly tasked with modifying the legislation that will, in the future, allow Romania to be included in the Visa Waiver programme”, he added. As regards reports that the U.S. troops could use a military base in Romania as an intermediary point in their pull-out from Afghanistan, Ponta explained there already is an extremely advanced level of cooperation as regards the missile shield, the multi-purpose jets to be procured by the Romanian Army under a contract signed this year and the collaboration agreement on using the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base.
SOURCE: Nine O'Clock

September 18, 2013
In a statement today, the U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs Office said reports that America could build a base in Romania as part of a restructuring of its European military installations were “erroneous. (Lt. Gen. Campbell) spoke about the potential to rotate forces through Novo Selo, Bulgaria and locations in Romania – not establishing a base or garrisoning troops there.”

September 16, 2013
Minister of Foreign Affairs
"
Considering that citizens from most EU countries get visa free access to the US and Canada, and American and Canadian citizens can travel freely all across the EU, the Foreign Affairs Ministry believes it is natural to apply an equivalent treatment to all EU citizens,” according to the Ministry’s statement.
SOURCE: Romania-Insider

August 29, 2013
Relax the U.S. Visa Waiver Program / Washington Post - August 30, 2013
by former U.S. ambassadors to Romania: James Rosapepe, Jack Dyer Couch, Michael Guest, and Mark Gitenstein
Our own support [for the Senate's visa waiver reform] reflects our conviction that current U.S. visa laws unfairly restrict visitors whom our country should welcome. All of us have served as U.S. ambassador to Romania. In that role, we each met scores of Romanians who shared American values and respected this country for the freedoms it represents yet who were prevented from visiting the United States, usually because their income was low by U.S. standards. The presumption that they would seek to remain here illegally — leaving behind the comforts of culture, family and friends — was often misguided. Full text

August 26, 2013
Minister of Foreign Affairs Titus Corlatean pleaded for directing the cooperation with the US to a ‘correct and good track.’ He also spoke of the question of visas and added that the fact that Romania did not benefit by the Visa Waiver ‘is unnatural’. ‘I have said it before and am repeating it now: it is unnatural that Romania, which is not only a strategic partner, but also a country that made its contribution to the military operations in the battlefield, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, shoulder to shoulder with the American soldiers, and we paid for it in blood and we paid heavily for it, such a partner that is involved in the antimissile shield and all the other operations and cooperation, should go on being kept at the door,’ added Titus Corlatean.
SOURCE: Nine O'Clock

June 21, 2013
A delegation of Romania's Economy Ministry represented by state secretary Manuel Donescu had meetings, June 17-19, in Washington with US state officials as well as executives of top-ranking US companies, including Boeing, Exxon, IBM and Chevron, the Economy Ministry reported on Thursday.
At the US Administration, the schedule of the visit comprised meetings with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration Mathew Murray; Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Kathleen Doherty, as well as with Director, Office of Multilateral Trade Affairs Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs Whitney Baird.
Discussed at the meetings were topical issues on the bilateral economic and trade agenda, with emphasis on the implementation of the economic component of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century Between the United States of America and Romania as well as topics of interest to the EU-US relations, particularly from the perspective of negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
At the same time, emphasis was placed on increasing US investments and facilitating access to the US markets of Romanian products and services.
SOURCE: ActMedia Romania News Agency

June 20, 2013
President Traian Basescu said Romania will be a partner to any investor transferring know-how and creating jobs here, emphasising that an important part in relation to the US investments in Romania is played by the strategic partnership between Romania and the US, he told the opening ceremony of Lufkin factory at Aricestii Rahtivani, Prahova County.
He pointed out that Romania has proved itself to be a good partner to the companies having invested in Romania, including Ford, IBM, Oracle and Lufkin. In the context, he emphasised the important part played by the strategic partnership between Romania and the US. ‘It is infinite times more than just a partnership for security purposes; it is a partnership that according to the document signed by me and President Barack Obama also regards know-how transfers, education, the environment, the Visa Waiver program and US investments in Romania. This means the strategic partnership is wider than we are used to understand it, and I would rate it a political success of Romania’s first of all because there are many countries that would like such a partnership with the United States,’ Basescu highlighted.
SOURCE: Nine O'Clock

March 7, 2013
Secretary for Strategic Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), 'Bogdan Aurescu underscored the consistent effort from the Romanian Government for the consolidation and enlargement of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US, pointing out to the launch in October 2012 of a Task Force for the implementation of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between the US and Romania adopted in Washington on September 13, 2011,' the MAE release reads.
SOURCE: ActMedia Romania News Agency