The Governments of the United States of America and Romania held their fifth annual Strategic Partnership Dialogue in Washington, DC, on September 26, 2016. This partnership is rooted in a shared commitment to democratic values – rule of law, open markets, respect for human rights, and people-to-people ties. The two Governments reaffirmed these principles and pledged to work together on a range of related issues.
The United States and Romania noted the importance of continued efforts to promote democracy, rule of law, and good governance to maintain open, sustainable societies. Romania’s own commitment and its resilience in defending these values and pursuing transformative progress in areas such as law enforcement, accountable governance, and anti-corruption have set a powerful example. We look forward to continued cooperation in promoting joint development and technical assistance to the Republic of Moldova, the Western Balkans, and elsewhere.
Robust security cooperation is a vital part of the U.S.-Romania Strategic Partnership. The two partners will build upon successes such as completing the Missile Defense site in Deveselu, and work together and in NATO to ensure swift and full implementation of the Warsaw Summit commitments by 2017 – notably by establishing the Romanian-led multinational brigade and the strengthened Alliance air and maritime presence in the Black Sea region, underpinned by CJET. Also, the United States and Romania will enhance work on increased strategic communication, combat terrorism, and cybersecurity cooperation.
The United States and Romania remain committed to a more transparent, predictable, integrated, diverse, and competitive regional energy market. We will prioritize sharing policy making and research expertise. We give particular attention to the realization of gas connectors between Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria, and between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as to acceleration of the development of Black Sea off-shore reserves. A stable and transparent tax regime to enable long-term investment in Romania’s upstream sector is critical, as is developing sustainable energy programs to fight climate change and encourage investment in Romania’s advanced energy technology sectors.
Trade and investment are crucial dimensions of our Strategic Partnership, as they provide mutual and regional benefits, feed common growth, and ensure shared prosperity. We will continue to work together on meaningful business climate reforms through the Romanian Action Plan for Good Economic Governance. We will prioritize mutual trade and investment missions, and programs designed to support small businesses, young entrepreneurs, and start-up innovation communities. We affirm our support for an ambitious, comprehensive and mutually beneficial Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement between the United States and the EU.
The Partnership between our nations is driven by the free and open exchange of ideas, and a commitment to enhance education opportunities. We will further develop the strong foundation of the U.S.-Romania Fulbright program, emphasizing closer cooperation in research and innovation. Expertise and research infrastructure can support a broad range of scientific exploration. The United States and Romania will continue to prioritize reciprocal travel and people-to-people exchanges; we are committed to full implementation of the security enhancement measures under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program legislation and are committed to work toward the admission of Romania to this Program.
The 5th Annual Dialogue included representatives from both governments and was hosted by the U.S. Department of State. The parties agreed to hold the next annual meeting in Bucharest, Romania, in 2017.
