Ministry of National Defence of Romania
Ministry of National Defence of Romania
04/03/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/03/2023 04:55
Defence Minister’s meeting with the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee of the US Congress
As part of his official visit to the United States of America, Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvăr, scheduled meetings on Thursday, March 30, at the Capitol, with the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed and the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Mike Rogers.
The working agenda included discussions on the security situation at the Black Sea and the support provided to Ukraine, in the context of the illegal, unprovoked and unjustified invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the perspective of bilateral cooperation and consolidation of the US forces' posture on the Eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance, as well as the efforts to modernize and develop the infrastructure in Romania, aligned with the cooperation programs with the USA, considering the national commitments in accordance with the defence allocated budget.
The Romanian official welcomed the completion of three decades since the launching of the "State Partnership Program", a platform that ensured the progressive increase of cooperation between the Romanian soldiers and those of the Alabama National Guard.
He thanked Chairman Mike Rogers, Congressman from the Alabama State, for his visit paid to Bucharest, at the beginning of February and highlighted the perspective of increasing cooperation between the Romanian defense industry in Romania with the one from the Alabama State.
Angel Tîlvăr conveyed to the presidents of the two committees that Romania remains a reliable ally of the United States and thanked for the consistent commitment of the US forces deployed to our country, with a view of strengthening the security of the Euro-Atlantic space on the Eastern flank, as a clear proof of the solid Romanian-American Strategic Partnership.
He also appreciated the efforts of the US administration for the development of a US Security Strategy at the Black Sea, by pointing out the importance of the validation, by Congress, of the legislative proposal in this regard.
At the same time, he mentioned the importance that Romania attaches to complying with commitments on the level of fair burden sharing of responsibilities within NATO, by allocating 2.5% of GDP for defense expenditures starting from 2023, of which a significant percentage is intended for major equipment purchase and research and development activities.
The working agenda included discussions on the security situation at the Black Sea and the support provided to Ukraine, in the context of the illegal, unprovoked and unjustified invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the perspective of bilateral cooperation and consolidation of the US forces' posture on the Eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance, as well as the efforts to modernize and develop the infrastructure in Romania, aligned with the cooperation programs with the USA, considering the national commitments in accordance with the defence allocated budget.
The Romanian official welcomed the completion of three decades since the launching of the "State Partnership Program", a platform that ensured the progressive increase of cooperation between the Romanian soldiers and those of the Alabama National Guard.
He thanked Chairman Mike Rogers, Congressman from the Alabama State, for his visit paid to Bucharest, at the beginning of February and highlighted the perspective of increasing cooperation between the Romanian defense industry in Romania with the one from the Alabama State.
Angel Tîlvăr conveyed to the presidents of the two committees that Romania remains a reliable ally of the United States and thanked for the consistent commitment of the US forces deployed to our country, with a view of strengthening the security of the Euro-Atlantic space on the Eastern flank, as a clear proof of the solid Romanian-American Strategic Partnership.
He also appreciated the efforts of the US administration for the development of a US Security Strategy at the Black Sea, by pointing out the importance of the validation, by Congress, of the legislative proposal in this regard.
At the same time, he mentioned the importance that Romania attaches to complying with commitments on the level of fair burden sharing of responsibilities within NATO, by allocating 2.5% of GDP for defense expenditures starting from 2023, of which a significant percentage is intended for major equipment purchase and research and development activities.