Arizona to be first US state to open trade office in Romania, says Embassy

Arizona will become the first US state to open an economic representative office in Romania, following a decision by the state legislature to allocate USD 125,000 in its fiscal year 2026 budget for the establishment of the office in Bucharest. The new office will support trade and economic cooperation and will also cover Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.

The announcement was made by the Romanian Embassy to the United States, which noted that the move follows ongoing dialogue and cooperation between Romanian and Arizona officials in recent years.

According to the Romanian ambassador to the United States, Andrei Muraru, the new office is expected to support trade exchanges, innovation, and collaboration between business communities in both regions.

Arizona’s trade offices abroad are responsible for assisting Arizona-based companies with exports, conducting market research, identifying potential sales or distribution partners, and supporting economic delegations during trade fairs and business events.

“The Romanian Embassy in the United States thanks Mr. Ben Toma for his support of this project during his term as Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, as well as all Romanian and American officials - from the Government and Parliament - and Romanian businesspeople who contributed to turning this idea into reality,” reads the statement.

The project is the result of discussions and visits that took place during 2023 and 2024, including meetings between Romanian diplomats and Arizona officials, visits by Romanian ministers and mayors to Arizona, and delegations from Arizona’s House of Representatives to Romania.

In 2023, the Arizona House of Representatives created a Committee for International Trade, which later adopted a plan to establish four new regional trade offices, including one in Romania. Arizona currently has economic offices in Mexico (Mexico City, Chihuahua, Guanajuato), Israel (Tel Aviv), Germany (Frankfurt), South Korea (Seoul), and Taipei.

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