Financiarul

Romanian Secretary of State for strategic affairs Bogdan Aurescu, who is currently paying an extended working visit to Washington proposed to the U.S. officials the set-up early in 2010 of a Romanian-U.S. Forum to mark the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two states, reads a release of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE).

Bogdan Aurescu on Monday had meetings with U.S. officials from the State Department: Pamela Quanrud, deputy assistant for Northern and Central Europe and the Baltic States of the secretary of state, Nancy McEldowney, first deputy of the assistant for European Affairs of the secretary of state and Dan Russel, deputy assistant for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus of the Secretary of State and the U.S. negotiator in the ’5+2′ format on solving conflict in Trans-Dniester.

One of the main topics approached at the meetings was the strengthening of cooperation under the Romanian-U.S. strategic partnership, especially in the context of the 130th anniversary next year of the diplomatic ties between the two states. The MAE Secretary of State agreed with the U.S. officials from the State Department to initiate in the immediate future consultations on the identification of a modality to mark the anniversary of 130 years of diplomatic relations. Bogdan Aurescu advanced the idea of setting set up early in 2010 of a Romanian-U.S. Forum.

Aurescu mentioned the progress made by Romania in meeting the technical criteria required by the Visa Waiver programme, including with the help of the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, in order to reduce the visa rejection rate. The US officials expressed their wiliness to cooperate with Romania to solve this matter, with the U.S. authorities needing time too to implement an electronic system to monitor the exits from the U.S. territory.

He also discussed with the U.S. officials on such aspects of the bilateral relations and issues of common interest on the international agenda, with the meetings at the State Department continuing such talks started during the recent visit to Bucharest (October 22) of the U.S. Vice President Joseph Binden. The U.s officials voiced their content with the results of this visit, with all the objectives having been reached, both related to the bilateral relations and in the regional context, according to the abovesaid source.

The Romanian dignitary reiterated the interest of the Romanian side for more close consultations with the U.S. on the conflict in Afghanistan, after the announcement made by the Administration in Washington of a new strategy to be approached in this country. Moreover, Bogdan Aurescu expressed Romania’s wiliness to continue the talks on the perspectives of the new anti-rocket shield proposed by President Obama, in the context of the ongoing debate at NATO, and in conformity with the principles of indivisibility and security of allied states.

Bogdan Aurescu also had an exchange of opinions on the New Strategic Concept of NATO, occasion on which he presented Romania’s priorities related to the necessity of reflecting in a corresponding manner the new risks and threatenings and the redefinition of the relations of the Alliance with the partner states. In this context, there was underlined the necessity of a New Strategic Concept of NATO to include, of an extended manner, the energy safety dimension.

A special matter during the talks was represented by the situation at the Eastern border of Romania, more precisely the border with the Republic of Moldova. Secretary of State Bogdan Aurescu voiced in this context the satisfaction of the Romanian side with the special results of the recent visit to Bucharest of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Vlad Filat, in the same time thanking the U.S. officials for their consistent support offered to the Government in Chisinau. There were also tackled the perspectives of the consolidation of the Romanian-Us consolidation on this issues.