Klaus Iohannis, received at the White House by President Joe Biden. Talks in the Oval Office

President Klaus Iohannis is on a working visit to Washington on May 7-8, 2024. He was received, on Tuesday, at the White House, by the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden.

UPDATE Klaus Iohannis, statements after the meeting with Joe Biden: “I had a very good meeting with President Biden. The visit also coincides with an anniversary moment for Romania, it has been 20 years since it became a member state of NATO. This year we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Alliance. I spoke with President Biden about the strategic partnership between our countries, how we can make it stronger and how we can deepen it so that it meets the challenges we face in this highly complicated global context.

I thanked President Biden for the substantial contribution of the United States to ensuring the security of Romania and the entire Eastern Flank and, at the same time, for recognizing the strategic role of the Black Sea in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The presence of American troops on the territory of our country, in increased numbers, represents a factor of safety and stability, not only for Romania, but for the entire region.

President Biden expressed his special appreciation for the consistent efforts that Romania makes for the benefit of the allied space and, at the same time, for the continuous support we give to Ukraine, including by facilitating the transit of agricultural products from Ukraine to world markets.

I emphasize that the topic of security is not only a strictly military one, but must be approached in a much broader sense, because the safety of our citizens depends on it and the support of the democratic principles on which our societies are founded

Both Romania and the United States share the objective of strengthening bilateral relations and we work in this sense in the field of energy, being known for the close cooperation we have in the nuclear field, the defense industry, in the economic field, in IT, in innovation and research, and in fact the list is much longer.

Of course, we also addressed the issue of Romania’s admission to the Visa Waiver program, a very important aspect for all Romanian citizens. Our objective is to meet all the conditions for inclusion in this program and we are confident that this will happen in the not too distant future.

We obviously also discussed the preparation of the anniversary Summit in Washington in July of this year and Romania’s objectives there. It is important that transatlantic unity and coordination be reconfirmed at this meeting.

In addition to our consistent and consistent support to Ukraine, it is essential that we continue to strengthen our defense and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank and have a strengthened approach to security in the Black Sea.

An important topic in our discussions was, of course, Ukraine. Romania will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary, and I have conveyed this to President Biden as well. Our common priority, both the European Union and the United States, is to not allow Russia to win this war in Ukraine.”

UPDATE The meeting in the Oval Office between Klaus Iohannis and Joe Biden is scheduled to last between 35 and 40 minutes. The agenda of the meeting is dominated by discussions on security issues. Symbolically, the White House thus marks 20 years since Romania joined NATO.

President Joe Biden made a joke, he said that 180 years ago when he was a senator he fought hard so that Romania could become a member of NATO. Today, Romania is a reliable ally of the USA. Joe Biden evoked all the global conflicts in which the US army and the Romanian army fought together for democracy. He thanked Romania for hosting several thousand American soldiers.

Klaus Iohannis thanked for having the opportunity to make this visit, set in a very short time. He emphasized that Romania will continue to support Ukraine, peace and democracy in Europe. He thanked the US for supporting the Ukrainians’ fight for freedom, most recently through the aid approved by the US Congress, Ramona Avramescu, TVR’s special envoy to the US, told TVR Info.

UPDATE The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is received in the Oval Office of the White House, by the President of the USA, Joe Biden.

Klaus Iohannis: I want to start by telling you that we managed not only to be NATO members, but we also managed to work on the bilateral relationship, which became stronger and stronger. We have a strategic partnership and I believe that through this partnership we have succeeded in making the transatlantic link stronger. We are working together on the Visa Waiver Program. We hope the visas will be lifted soon. The most important issue on the table will be to find a way for peace in Europe.

UPDATE President Klaus Iohannis arrived at the White House, where he will be received by the US President, Joe Biden.

UPDATE According to a press release from the Presidential Administration, on this occasion priority topics of the international and bilateral agenda will be discussed. A special place in the exchange of opinions between the two heads of state will be occupied by the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea basin, as well as the strengthening of security in the Euro-Atlantic area. The high-level dialogue will be a good opportunity for raising the profile of the Strategic Partnership with the United States and reconfirming the privileged bilateral relations between the two states and multisectoral cooperation.

On May 8, 2024, Klaus Iohannis will be awarded the Distinguished International Leadership Award for 2024, at the Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Awards gala, in recognition of his career and his role as a transatlantic and European leader.

According to the Presidential Administration, Iohannis is the first European head of state honored with this distinction, in the 24 years since the award was established.