Romanian President Klaus Iohannis was received last night at the White House by US President Joe Biden , with whom he discussed a number of bilateral and international topics, including support for Ukraine, Agerpress agency reported. The candidacy of Klaus Iohannis for NATO Secretary General and the abolition of visas for Romanians to travel to the US were also among the topics touched upon at the White House meeting.
System “Patriot“ for Ukraine
Iohannis stated that Romania will find a solution for the transfer of the Patriot air defense system. of Ukraine, notes Agerpress.
„It is obvious that there is a need for air defense systems in Ukraine”, the Romanian president said at a press conference after the meeting and added that President Biden raised the issue of the “Patriot“ systems that Romania has.
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„(…) I said I am open to discussions, which means I will have to discuss this at home, in the Supreme Defense Council,”, Iohannis said at a press conference at the Romanian Embassy in Washington. He specified that it should be discussed what the country can offer and what it can get in return, “because it is unacceptable that Romania remains without air defense”.
“I believe we will find a solution”, Iohannis said, specifying that in Romania there is only one functional system “Patriot“ and the others are in an advanced stage of commissioning and this is one of them.
Defense Expenditure
The Romanian president said that NATO member countries should increase the production of their defense industries. Asked whether, in the context of the war in Ukraine, Romania needs to increase defense spending, Iohannis said that Romania “stands extremely well with the decision to allocate 2.5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to defense”.
„There are many allies who are very far from even 2 percent”, Iohannis noted, adding that as tensions rise, this discussion will be renewed.
„(…) Our defense industries must increase production, otherwise we will not cope with this situation”, said the Romanian president.
The Eastern Flank
According to Iohannis, an even stronger commitment is needed on NATO's Eastern flank – for defense, but also for deterrence.
„We have these battle groups, we have troops, but in my opinion it is not enough. We need a much stronger commitment to the Eastern Flank, both for defense and deterrence, but deterrence does not mean sending more troops to the Eastern Flank. Deterrence means being properly equipped, means having sufficient defense industry production. You know very well that aid to Ukraine is suffocating in a sensitive area, artillery shells, and it cannot remain as it is now," Klaus Iohannis said at the press conference.
He stressed that deterrence means that NATO countries become more powerful, and for this to happen, more funds must be allocated to the defense industry, to those involved in the purchase of systems.
„If we want to have a functioning system on the Eastern Flank, it must have the appropriate logistical coverage. For example, for fuel, this is essential. Any army stops if it runs out of fuel, and we must have a refueling system on the entire Eastern Flank. These issues are of vital importance," the Romanian president pointed out.
He also mentioned the Black Sea strategy.
„The war is in the Black Sea, it is in the Black Sea region, not in another region. We need to focus more, be more specific, develop specific goals, develop strategies to prevent the spread of the conflict and, of course, ultimately achieve peace that also meets the goals of Ukraine," he explained. Johannis. He said that Romania will support Ukraine as long as necessary and that the common priority of both the EU and the US is that Russia does not win the war.
Iohannis' candidacy for NATO Secretary General
The Romanian president said he discussed with Joe Biden his candidacy for NATO secretary general.
„This topic was also touched upon and together we decided to continue the dialogue”, Iohannis said in response to a question at the press conference.
The Romanian president admitted that there is a risk of not reaching a consensus on the leadership of NATO by the Alliance summit in Washington, but he said it is good to have two candidates.
„(…) I think it is very good that there are two candidates, both of whom are considered acceptable, because a strong organization also needs strong competition," said the Romanian head of state regarding his candidacy and that of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte.
According to Iohannis, the presence of two candidates for the position does not destroy the unity of the North Atlantic Alliance.
„Ultimately, one of the two candidates will probably be chosen as the next Secretary General. The important thing is not to mix things up. There were people who said that if there were two candidates, it broke the unity of the Alliance. No way! The alliance is strong, we are moving forward. But it is good to have two candidates, because then there is an opportunity to open new topics for debate and obviously there is a chance for things to work better," said Iohannis.
The issue of visas
The Romanian president said that Romania can “fundamentally” to hope for a waiver of visas for Romanian citizens traveling to the US “in the near enough future”.
„There is a lot of technical discussion here. You know that the visa waiver is not a political decision, but a decision based on statistics. Our foreign ministry and the embassy here have taken things very seriously. Awareness campaigns are being carried out to improve the visa approval rate and in this sense we can have reasonable hope that in the near enough future this issue will be resolved," Klaus Johannis said. He specified that he discussed this issue with President Biden during the meeting because it is “very important for all Romanian citizens”.
The strategic partnership between Romania and the USA
Iohannis said that he discussed with Biden the deepening of the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States and thanked him for the essential contribution of the United States to ensuring the security of Romania and the entire Eastern flank of NATO.
„I discussed with President Biden the strategic partnership between our countries, how we can make it stronger and how to deepen it so that it meets the challenges we face in this extremely complex global context,” said the Romanian president, summing up the meeting at the White House.
„The presence of American troops on the territory of our country, at that in an increased composition, is a factor of security and stability not only for Romania, but also for the entire region. President Biden expressed his great gratitude for Romania's consistent efforts in favor of the allied space and for our continued support for Ukraine, including by facilitating the export of agricultural products from Ukraine to world markets, Iohannis said at the press conference.
He noted that the issue of security is not only strictly military, but must be considered in a much broader sense, because it depends on the security of citizens and "respect for the democratic principles on which our societies are based" .
„Both Romania and the US share the goal of strengthening bilateral relations, and we are working towards this goal in the field of energy, in the defense industry, in the economy, information technology, innovation and scientific research,” said the Romanian president, adding, that “actually the list is much longer".
US President Joe Biden has praised the Romanian president for his leadership and assistance to Ukraine, Agerpress also reports
In statements before the meeting, US President Joe Biden recalled how, as a senator, he fought for Romania's admission to NATO. “You exceeded all expectations”, Biden told Iohannis, according to a message on the White House website, quoted by Agerpress.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is on a two-day working visit to the United States. Today, he will receive the Atlantic Council's 2024 Distinguished International Leadership Award in recognition of his career and role as a transatlantic and European leader, his administration announced.
Iohannis is the first European head of state to be awarded this distinction in the 24 years since the award was established by the prestigious American organization for analysis and expertise, founded in 1961.