The Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, was welcomed on Friday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace by President Klaus Iohannis.
Harris arrived in Bucharest at around 13:20hrs, local, being greeted at the Henri Coanda International Airport by Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu.
An official reception ceremony took place on the Cotroceni Plateau, where the national anthems of Romania and the US were played.
The welcome delegation was composed of Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, Senate Chairman Florin Citu, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, Romanian ambassador to the US Andrei Muraru, and presidential advisers Ion Oprisor and Luminita Odobescu.
Iohannis and Harris started with private talks, to be followed by public official talks at the end of which, at 15:30hrs, EET, they are to hold a joint news conference.
Before attending an informal meeting of the European Council in Versailles on Thursday Iohannis said he would discuss with Harris the NATO posture on the eastern flank, the NATO Battle Group to be hosted by Romania, and the American soldiers deployed to Romania.
According to the Presidential Administration, the presence in Bucharest of US Vice President Kamala Harris reconfirms the strength of the bilateral strategic partnership and a firm commitment of the United States to supporting the security of Romania and NATO allies on the eastern flank, while reflecting the US Administration’s appreciation for Romania amid current security threats posed by the illegal aggression of the Russian Federation, as well as in the management of refugee flows from the borders and the provision of humanitarian assistance.
Photo: www.presidency.ro
