Agreements between Romania and United States “in force and respected,” defense sources say

The agreements between Romania and the United States are in force, respected, and permanently adapted to security developments in the regional environment, according to defense sources cited by Agerpres.

Among the agreements still respected are those regulating the US military presence in Romania. To that end, the rotationally stationed American forces at the 57th Air Base in Mihail Kogălniceanu or the Aegis Ashore missile defense system installed at the 99th Base in Deveselu, "represent clear evidence of the joint Romanian-American commitment to allied collective security," the mentioned sources indicate.

Romania had pledged EUR 2.5 billion to transform the Mihail Kogălniceanu base into a "regional strategic hub for NATO," capable of hosting up to 10,000 Romanian and allied troops. Romania's investment is structured over 20 years, to be implemented in four stages.

At this moment, more than 1,700 US troops are deployed in Romania, mainly in Mihail Kogălniceanu, Deveselu, and Câmpia Turzii.

Earlier this month, the Romanian Defense Ministry said that it had not received any official notification from the United States regarding the withdrawal of American troops from Romania's territory, and that it cannot formulate a response based solely on media reports. The clarification came after public reports emerged regarding a possible withdrawal of approximately 10,000 American troops from Romania and Poland.

Romanian interim president Ilie Bolojan also denied any plans to withdraw American troops from the country, despite reports from NBC News to that end.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | George Calin)