Minister-delegate Ciamba, SOT Mnuchin discuss economic dimension of Romania-US strategic partnership

In Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Romania's Minister-delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba held bilateral meetings with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Terner Mnuchin and U.S. senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis), chairman of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. According to a press statement released by Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) on Thursday, at his meeting with the U.S. secretary of the treasury, Ciamba made reference to the economic dimension of the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States of America. The Romanian official welcomed the positive dynamics of the bilateral trade and pointed out the need to continue developing the economic relationships between the two countries. During the talks, Ciamba informed Mnuchin that the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union has prioritised the development of relationships with the United States of America by promoting a constructive transatlantic dialogue beneficial to both parties in order to settle disagreements that may arise in the context the current global competitiveness. He pointed out that the European Union and the United States are the largest and most integrated economies in the world, with a long tradition of trade and a similar level of economic development. An important topic on the agenda was the impact that Brexit could have on the EU economy. Ciamba mentioned some contingency measures approved by the EU Council to contain the damage that a Brexit would cause without agreements in certain sectors, pointing out that "the European Union has made every effort for Brexit to affects as little as possible the life of the citizens and businesses by negotiating an agreement with Britain beneficial to both parties." The Romanian dignitary voiced regret over the rejection of the agreement by the British Parliament. "The European Union is still open to finding a fair solution for an orderly Brexit, but we will not renegotiate the initial agreement. At the European Council convened for April 10, we will see the way forward," MAE quotes Ciamba as saying in the statement. At his meeting with U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, Ciamba said the development and strengthening of the transatlantic relationship is among the top priorities of the six-month Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union. "The United States is the closest global partner to both Romania and the European Union as a whole." Ciamba and Johnson also discussed security in the Black Sea region. The two officials reviewed the current threats generated by the region's excessive militarisation and hybrid dangers. He underscored that 15 years after its accession, Romania is a trusted and active member of NATO, the political-military alliance that celebrates its 70th anniversary. As the chairman of the General Affairs Council, Ciamba underlined the importance that the Romanian presidency of the EU Council attaches to the organisation of the European elections. The Romanian dignitary pointed to a package approved by the European Council that provides for measures to ensure a free and safe vote based on real information, combating misinformation and fake news as a priority. Ciamba pointed out that the sources of misinformation can come from inside and outside the EU, from state and non-state actors. He pointed to an agreement reached by Romania's presidency to create new rules aimed at preventing European political parties from misusing personal data in the elections to the European Parliament. The two officials also discussed the latest developments in the Brexit process. Ciamba said that the European Union took preventive action and steps to prevent citizens and companies from suffering the consequences of a no-deal Brexit. Ciamba was a guest speaker at Transatlantic Strategic Dialogue, a major event in Washington, attended by personalities such as Madeleine K. Albright - former U.S. Secretary of State; Nicholas Burns - Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations at Harvard Kennedy School; Joseph Nye - professor emeritus at Harvard Kennedy School, or Adam Schiff - chair of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, according to MAE. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: George Onea; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)

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