U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said his country and Romania were committed to „pushing back Russian aggression” as the country boosts its defenses as a response to the war in neighboring Ukraine.
NATO
Blinken’s remarks came as the United States and Romania celebrated 25 years since they launched our Strategic Partnership, and at a key time as NATO strengthens its security in the Eastern flank five months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the past 25 years, „We have strengthened ties on defense, energy, and economic cooperation. Romania has no better friend and we share a commitment to pushing back Russia’s aggression in the region,” Blinken tweeted.
Twenty-five years ago, the United States and Romania launched our Strategic Partnership. Since then, we have strengthened ties on defense, energy, and economic cooperation. Romania has no better friend and we share a commitment to pushing back Russia’s aggression in the region.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 11, 2022
Romania’s embassy in Washington on Monday launched a website to mark the anniversary.
It called the partnership „a milestone of the Romanian foreign policy,” and posted a selection of events and visits over the past quarter century.
Former President Bill Clinton visited Bucharest in July 1997 launching the partnership, the first American president to come to Romania since the 1989 fall of communism.
Rainbow
Five years later, another U.S. president, George W. Bush visited the Romanian capital where a rainbow famously appeared as he made a speech.
Last weekend, the embassy and other officials organized the first ever Romanian festival in the American capital ‘Romanian Weekend at The Wharf.’
Also Monday, eight former U.S. ambassadors described Romania as one of the “closest and most capable US allies in Central and Eastern Europe” praising it for “promoting democratic values, fundamental human rights, the rule of law and good governance ”.
Humanitarian crisis
The diplomats praised Romania for its role in the humanitarian crisis after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
“As Romania continues to invest in its own capabilities, it will have the potential to become one of the leading security providers in the region and throughout the North Atlantic Alliance,” they said.
Romania first established bilateral relations in 1880 and its relations with the U.S. is defined as “one of the fundamental pillars of Romania’s foreign policy.”
Capitol
On Tuesday, the anniversary will be celebrated in the United States Capitol with the support of the co-chairs of House Romania Caucus, Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan) and Michael Turner (R-Ohio).
This week, Ambassador Tony Patrick Hall, a former member of Congress, and Dorin Tudoran, a Romanian writer, poet, journalist and dissident will receive the National Order Star of Romania from Ambassador Andrei Muraru on behalf of President Klaus Iohannis.
Ambassadors
The U.S. ambassadors who signed the letter were: Alfred H. Moses, who served as ambassador from 1994 to 1997, James Carew Rosapepe, 1997-2001, Michael E. Guest, ambassador 2001-2004, Jack Dyer Crouch II, 2004-2005, Nicholas F. Taubman, 2005-2008, Mark Gitenstein, 2009-2012, Hans G. Klemm, ambassador 2015-2019 and the last ambassador, Adrian Zuckerman who held the post from 2019-2021.
