Minister of defence, Mircea Dusa, met today, 20 August, with Dean Thompson, US Charge d'Affaires in Romania. Dean Thompson was accompanied by Christina Evans, Director of the US Senate Budget Committee's Majority Leaders' Office, Subcommittee on military constructions. Christina Evans is present in Romania following the request the US Administration addressed to the US Senate on drawing up the European Reassurance Initiative announced by President Barack Obama.

The two officials talked about the situation in Ukraine which, in minister Dusa’`s opinion, is \'a reason to worry for both NATO and Romania as an allied country\'. They also talked of the latest developments in the Middle East.

Minister Dusa reiterated our country’`s Romania's commitment to strengthen and intensify the Strategic Partnership between the two countries and appreciated the role played by Mihail Kogalniceanu military base, which he described as \'an important point in the rotation process of the US troops operating in Afghanistan.\'

The Romanian Defence Minister also informed the US side on the stage of the works at Deveselu. \'Everything goes as planned. The works are going well and all the activities associated to securing the military base are well within the established calendar. Today, Deputy Prime Minister Liviu Dragnea and I will make an assessment of the stage of the works conducted outside the military base - the wastewater treatment plant, the sewage, the water network\', Minister Dusa added.

MoND Press Office