Ministry of Foreign Affairs
PRESS STATEMENT

December 2nd , 2005

US SECRETARY OF STATE DR. CONDOLEEZZA RICE'S VISIT
TO BUCHAREST

At the invitation of the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu, US Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice will pay a visit to Bucharest on December 6th 2005 , as part of her travel to Europe . This is the first visit of Dr. Condoleezza Rice, since her appointment and reflects the significant strengthening of the political dialogue within the Romanian – American Strategic Partnership, following visits of President of Romania Traian Basescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu and other Romanian high officials to the US, as well as the recent visit of US national security presidential advisor to Romania.

The program of the visit includes meetings with President of Romania Traian Basescu, minister of foreign affairs Mihai – Razvan Ungureanu and other Romanian dignitaries, the signing ceremony of the Access Agreement on the placement of American military facilities on Romanian territory, – together with the Romanian minister of foreign affairs –, as well as press statements at the Cotroceni Palace.

The agenda of Dr. Rice's visit to Romania includes evaluation of the main aspects of the bilateral relation, from the perspective of political, economic and military cooperation, especially in the context of the celebration, this year, of 125 years of Romanian – American diplomatic relations. Talks include regional topics, with highlights on the Black Sea region and Western Balkans, the regional and international promotion of shared values of liberty and democracy, cooperation in the fight against terrorism and within NATO.

The signing of the Access Agreement represents an essential step in the consolidation of the Romanian – American Strategic Partnership which gains a new dimension starting from now. The strengthening of the political, strategic and economic Romanian – American cooperation, as well as the presence of US forces on Romanian territory reflects the consolidation of the strategic bilateral partnership and represents the expression of mutual trust and Romanian – American solidarity, opening perspectives for new joint action opportunities in dealing with the pressing issues on the regional and international agenda.