US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to meet president Dan in Bucharest on November 4

Elbridge Colby, the US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, will hold talks with president Nicuşor Dan in Bucharest on Wednesday, November 4, the Presidential Administration announced.

The talks will focus on Black Sea security and the presence of US troops in Romania, according to an announcement made last week by Defense Minister Radu Oprea, quoted by Libertatea.

The minister also told Antena 3 that the Defense Ministry (MApN) wants to explore what projects the Romanian Armed Forces could develop together with the US.

The US official is arriving in Bucharest after a visit to Poland.

Andrei Muraru, Romania's Ambassador to the United States, told the public broadcaster TVR that the talks would focus on the US military presence.

“I believe the choice to visit these two key countries, the largest countries on NATO's eastern flank, actually shows where US interests in the region are focused. I hope this visit will also bring further clarification on the issues that require a response from the Romanian side,” Muraru told TVR.

“I think it is very important for Mr. Colby to receive assurances not only from the president of Romania, who will host him, but also from the country's other political leaders, that these investments, plans, and strategic decisions made by Romania have the support of the government and, indeed, of parliament, regardless of any changes in the political landscape or the parliamentary majority,” the ambassador explained.

The number of US troops deployed in Romania has decreased in recent years, from more than 2,500 to around 1,000.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Bucharest has joined other Eastern European governments, including those of Poland and the Baltic states, in proposing financial incentives for American military personnel, amid rising tensions in the Black Sea region.