The first meeting addressed the stability in the Southern Neighborhood of the Euro-Atlantic area, developments related to Afghanistan and the NATO 2030 strategic reflection process.
Minister Aurescu spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other allies about the firm commitment to a strong transatlantic relationship, based on unity and allied cohesion.
Aurescu welcomed the US Secretary of State’s commitment to the North Atlantic Alliance, stressing that the transatlantic relationship is the backbone of NATO.
The Romanian official pointed out the importance of NATO’s increased commitment to supporting its partners in the Middle East and North Africa and stressed the need for the Alliance’s continued involvement in the efforts of the international community to combat terrorism.
He explained Romania’s support to continue the participation in the efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and showed Romania’s substantial contribution to the Resolute Support Mission, with 670 troops deployed in the field.
Minister Bogdan Aurescu underlined the special importance of this process from the perspective of consolidating the political dimension of the Alliance, ensuring a solid military position and developing NATO’s partnership relations.
Aurescu reaffirmed Romania’s active support for the NATO 2030 process as well as the proposal put forward by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to strengthen NATO’s capacity to respond effectively to current and future security challenges. He also mentioned the contribution and efforts that Romania makes to increase resilience and the initiative to establish and host a Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience.
The talks held by the Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken focused on the bilateral strategic partnership relationship, as well as other topics of mutual interest in international relations.
Aurescu underlined „the solidity and depth of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States of America”. He invited his American counterpart to visit Romania this year, on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the United States.
The meeting of NATO foreign ministers will continue with a regional security session on Wednesday. This session will be attended by the Foreign Ministers of Sweden, Finland, as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy