President Klaus Johannis: We Support Permanent Presence of American Troops in Romania

While attending the reception honoring Independence Day at the US Embassy in Bucharest, Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis told the American officials that the country’s authorities support a persistent, even permanent presence in Romania of the American Forces.

In this complicated regional and international context, Romania will continue to be a factor of stability, a contributor to the resilience and security of the Black Sea region and an active participant in developing and strengthening the transatlantic relationship. Along with our country’s status as a member of the European Union and an Ally within NATO, the Strategic Partnership with the United States will continue to guide Romania’s foreign and security policy consistently. I welcome President Biden’s firm commitment to defend every inch of Allied territory. As a concrete manifestation of this commitment, thousands of American soldiers are today in Romania, contributing, alongside their Romanian, French, Dutch, Belgian and other allied nations’ comrades, to ensuring our security and the Euro-Atlantic space. I assure you of the full cooperation of the Romanian authorities in creating the best conditions for a persistent, even permanent, presence in Romania of the forces of our leading Strategic Partner.

Klaus Johannis on June 28, US Embassy in Bucharest

Klaus Iohannis reminded the audience of the Ukraine conflict’s vicinity and the risks deriving from the Red Army’s presence in the area.

Today, near Romania, Russia acts against the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty, right to an independent foreign policy and even its right to exist are explicitly denied. We are faced with unilateral attempts to rewrite, reinterpret or selectively apply basic principles of the international order to return to an era of spheres of influence in which Moscow can determine at its discretion the degree of freedom, sovereignty and the route of the borders of its neighbors. Together with our European, transatlantic and global partners, the United States and Romania have acted and continue to support Ukraine and all vulnerable partners in the Black Sea region. In particular, the Republic of Moldova is facing unprecedented hybrid attacks on its stability and resilience, attacks provoked and supported by the Russian Federation.

Klaus Johannis on the Ukrainian – Russian conflict and regional implications

Romania already hosts foreign troops on its territory, with the American forces as the most significant presence. Yet, no Romanian official has expressed the will to host foreign troops within Romania’s borders. The last permanent presence of foreign troops in Romania occured during communism when the Russian troops occupied Romania from 1944 to 1956. During this time, the communist regime imposed its will on the people, and the presence of the Red Army soldiers in the country offered them the freedom to do whatever they felt needed to impose the dictatorship.

The troops would be Americans in this case. Despite the territorial security they offer, plenty of Romanians think this is not how international diplomacy should be approached and that any presence of foreign troops in Romania is not the most optimistic scenario in the highly volatile regional context.