By Anita N. Wadhwani
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington – President Bush and Romanian President Traian Basescu discussed U.S. visa policies, among other issues, during a July 27 meeting at the White House.

Following the meeting, Basescu told journalists the visa problem stems in part from the increasing numbers of Romanian students studying at American universities and Romanian business people traveling between the two nations. Basescu said the volume of business between the two nations has increased threefold over the past three years. A businessperson from Romania must plan for a minimum of three months’ lead time to obtain a visa to travel to the United States.

Romanians, Basecu said, do not view the United States as a destination for employment or illegal immigrations because, as a member of the European Union, employment and immigration opportunities exist for them in Europe.

President Bush, responded to the visa issue, said, “We want to work together on a road map to make sure the visa policy will work … that’s where we are with Romania, as well as other countries.”

The two leaders made bilateral relations a significant focus of their meeting. Bush said Romania’s view on the Black Sea region and issues related to the Balkans is “one that I listen to very carefully,” adding that Romania’s role in the Balkans is vital because of the emerging democracies there and the historical conflicts in the region.

Both presidents also highlighted their strong commitment to the spread of democracy. “Romania will continue to remain an ally of the United States in supporting the democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, in supporting democratic regimes in these countries like a key of freedom on the area,” said Basescu.

Bush said the United States and Romania not only are allies but also friends and he thanked the Romanian people “for their strong support to the young democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

A transcript of the remarks of the two presidents is available on the White House Web site.

For more on U.S. policy in the region, see Southeast Europe.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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