Romania Has a Message to America: We’re Ready to Step Up

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: we think in romania that national security is a national responsibility and that states have to pay more attention to their security and in this respect we think we thought and we still think that president trump was right when he said that europe should take greater responsibilities for [00:00:20] Speaker 2: its own security we are joined at the daily signal today by ambassador marius gabriel lzerka he is the foreign policy and national security advisor to the president of romania sir welcome it's great to have [00:00:35] Speaker 1: you here in washington dc thank you it's great to be here and i thank you for the invitation [00:00:40] Speaker 2: absolutely very exciting well what brings you to uh to america's nation's capital uh on this visit [00:00:46] Speaker 1: well um this is not my first visit uh in my current capacity actually is my third one and um the the objective of the previous one uh previous ones and the objective of this one are quite quite similar um i am here to tell my american interlocutors that um our strategic relationship has done a lot of good for both parties um but it is time to be more ambitious it is time to um answer better to the expectations of our respective publics and to step up our mutual engagements in critical sectors for our [00:01:32] Speaker 2: countries that's uh that's encouraging to hear um when it comes to to increasing that level of cooperation are you speaking mostly on defense matters or does it also include economic and trade issues as well [00:01:48] Speaker 1: well you you asked a critical question uh because indeed uh our uh very good strategic partnership has produced a lot of substance in the security and defense sector um less substance although the results are also significant in the economic sector um and it is time i believe we believe in bucharest the president done my boss believes that it is time to correct if you want this asymmetry that is this balance between what we have been able to achieve in the security and defense sector with the united states and and and what we could uh additionally achieve in the economic sector what we have in mind is something very specific that is to invest both parties uh romania and us in strategic sectors what we have in mind very specifically is to cooperate more in the energy sector romania is uh a country rich in energy energy one of the few countries in europe that is in this privileged position um we are ready to cooperate more with united states um in transport and logistics um in transport and logistics it is a critical uh sector for any economy we are ready to cooperate more with united states uh when it comes to um the new technologies romania romanians are great when it comes to it and in artificial intelligence natural intelligence also we are known to be rather good in natural intelligence um and and also uh we are ready to engage more with united states um in um creating a transatlantic defense industry base and and tell me why um all of those [00:03:46] Speaker 2: sound like they align very much with the direction that the trump administration is going absolutely [00:03:51] Speaker 1: why why is it we align uh with the um the most important priorities of this administration administration in a very organic and natural way we don't have to make an effort to seem aligned actually we were aligned with uh the first trump administration and this is the best kept secret if if you want of our great strategic relationship that romania naturally aligns with the united states and why is it in the [00:04:21] Speaker 2: interests of the american people to want to see greater collaboration between the two countries and i asked that question at a time when you know there there tends to be a lot of focus domestically uh and and as as you know from from working with the trump administration on an american first kind of uh policy [00:04:42] Speaker 1: well because we understand this america first uh priority or this america first principle uh we understand that uh the first responsibility of a strong leader is to take care of the national interest of uh the country uh they they lead um so that that that would be my my first question my second question would be the uh the the the following one romanians are maybe surprisingly uh quite similar uh to the americans we are a a christian country uh actually according to some statistics uh romanian romania is the most christian country after the vatican which is maybe not surprising i mean that the vatican is the most christian of course yes we are a a country that um well devotes a lot of attention to the family family values also so it is a country that is naturally i would say conservative in many in many respects um um so our strategic relationship has a uh foundation um that consists uh uh of of values or shared values and this explains why our uh strategic relations relationship is ideology proof if you if you want or administration proof we we were able together americans and romanians to uh um follow the same fundamental objectives during the last 30 years without uh major interruption or or uh deviation from the original objective [00:06:34] Speaker 2: president trump at least uh to those of us sitting here in washington seems to be more focused on uh foreign policy matters and national security issues in his second term and not that they they weren't of interest in his first term but obviously uh that has dominated much of the past two years here in in the united states um obviously your country where it's geographically located has been in the heart of of one of the most most critical conflicts that he's trying to solve that is between russia and ukraine tell us about what before we get into the specifics of the war tell us what it's been like and from your perspective working with the trump administration from your vantage point [00:07:14] Speaker 1: um well we felt uh since the beginning that uh we had a great interlocutor that we um were able to share with this administration a lot of um perspectives uh and assessments and um and values again um for instance uh we uh think in romania and am i am in a good position to a professional position to to say this we think in romania that national security is a national responsibility and that states have to uh well pay more attention to their security and in this respect we um uh think we thought and we still think that president trump was right when uh he said that europe should take greater responsibilities for its uh own security um and uh this um um ask if you want or or or this uh uh proposition uh was enshrined in the uh uh in the conclusions of the hague uh summit uh nato summit um that asks uh asks from every member to elevate their uh defense uh spending to five percent of their respective gdp romania despite our fiscal problems uh our maneuvering room is rather limited and romania i'm afraid is not the only country that faces these problems of a uh fiscal maneuvering room that is quite limited we embraced this uh objective and this year for instance we will um uh achieve uh 3.7 percent of our dgp allocated to uh defense and and security um so um uh again i we believe in romania that there should be a european pillar inside nato um and that uh the european uh a european pillar again inside nato is maybe the best guarantee for a strong transatlantic relationship inside europe romania is probably in one of the best positions to understand this that our security of course is our own responsibility but that also it depends on also also in a strong transatlantic relationship um these are not exclusive uh values or exclusive uh propositions we have to have them at the same time a stronger europe inside a stronger uh nato uh on the foundation of um a similar strong [00:10:15] Speaker 2: transatlantic relationship romania has been a member of nato for over 20 years what changes in your lifetime have have you experienced on the point you just made in terms of a greater commitment to defense uh to taking more responsibility maybe not being as reliant on the united states as president trump as you correctly said has uh has encouraged uh nato members to to take on that responsibility [00:10:41] Speaker 1: um well being a member of nato has become a very natural thing uh for many romanians um um we already have age and at least one generation that was born inside nato that takes nato as something that goes without saying um of course um many romanians take nato for granted and see mainly the benefits of belonging to nato since the hague the nato summit in the hague and and since the beginning of the full-scale in invasion by russia of ukraine we have um started to realize that being a member of nato comes with also responsibilities not only with benefits but also with responsibilities so um on the one hand it feels safe to belong to the defensive alliance um uh funded after the second world war um but also uh we understood we've become to under we we've uh began to understood to understand that it comes also with um with responsibilities and romania is ready to play a more important role inside nato along uh the lines um uh mentioned by uh in in many in in many occasions uh uh by by president trump for uh for instance uh we were uh one of the first nato members to speak and to act uh according to the burden shifting um and burden sharing principles um this is the specific way uh where europe could prove uh its usefulness uh or bigger usefulness inside uh nato by uh taking uh upon uh ourselves uh greater responsibilities um for our own uh security again um and this is one of the um the objectives of my visit um these days to washington it is not only to share this vision of uh president dunn um so aligned with the vision of president trump but it is also to get into details uh to show uh not only what romania has been able to do for instance uh uh investing modernizing our military bases creating in romania by the black sea probably the soft dust underbelly of nato nowadays and you know why um not only because romania uh answered quickly and decisively when uh us needed our helping hand during the midnight hammer operations and and and and um epic fury uh operation but also that we are ready to cover some of the costs of the u.s presence in romania because we understood we understand we have understood that this is a way to uh contribute to our own security and to enhance the security of of nato that is to create better conditions for the american troops on the eastern flank as more [00:14:44] Speaker 2: specifically in romania and as you and i have both observed uh it's one of the frustrations it appears of president trump that other european countries have not been as forthcoming as romania when it comes to providing that support and assistance particularly with the operations in in iran so um so i i think that that's a point uh well well well taken and and and something for us to appreciate and thank you for [00:15:07] Speaker 1: uh your your dedication to helping americans i don't want to get into other countries domestic problems and explain uh why uh some decisions uh by some countries uh have been taken uh more slowly or differently than in the case of my country but i would like to uh um maybe uh give the same explanation why romania is so much aligned with the united states uh i mean it to um help uh us uh during the epic fury operation we needed 24 hours to take all the political and administrative decisions and i can tell you it it hasn't been easy to align all institutions i mean all the institutions the the ministries the government the presidency and the parliament in 24 hours and take this topical uh decision um but we were able to do this because we don't have a constituency against this ah i see because there is popular support should i maybe say popular consensus when it comes to us i mean uh there is no anti-us party uh uh or or constituency uh in uh in our population so for that reason it was it was easy to take this decision and i i believe that this is the stronger the strongest foundation for our bilateral relationship the fact that romanians expect from their leaders to be aligned with us and to well help uh us whenever uh whenever this is possible of course this is a mutually beneficial relationship romanians expect also to get uh more security more prosperity more freedom uh from uh from uh us and to have a again a mutually beneficial uh mutually beneficial relationship uh relationship but i i i have to ask [00:17:19] Speaker 2: about uh those those shared values uh that the romanian people have uh toward the united states because certainly you you would acknowledge that doesn't exist in other countries across the globe these days i mean we hear about it in in the news and and see it in headlines all the time um what would you attribute to that uh that that certain you know affinity toward um or desire to help the united states [00:17:45] Speaker 1: to history certainly to history actually um it is um not very well known that the resistance against communism in romania lasted until the 60s um and uh when i mentioned resistance i am referring to the armed resistance uh to um uh groups uh of uh defenders of democracy that were able to resist uh uh in the mountains and and uh well give to um the free world the signal that um romania didn't give up um and um what is even less known than this is that there was something that kept them these groups um still um um well uh ready to fight okay and that that was the the thought that the americans were uh uh were coming um and that uh this this hope was not lost and uh that uh at some point u.s will will free uh romania um so this is uh an essential part of uh of our history uh and um um romanians came out of the communist as an anti-communist uh country it is forbidden in romania to form a communist party it is forbidden also to form a fascist or a nazi party and this is equally important and has to be has to be said has to be answered has to be mentioned um so romanians were very much uh affected by by the recent history uh and by including by our relationship with soviet union and the shortened name for soviet unions is i'm afraid russia [00:20:06] Speaker 2: let's talk about russia for a moment obviously you share a border with ukraine you romania has been a supporter of ukraine uh and in a variety of ways obviously helping them militarily with with defense measures uh where do you see things going there's been a lot of news lately about uh president trump wanting to bring an end to this this war uh it's it's one of the the accomplishments that he set out on the campaign trail in 2024 that he would he would obviously like to see conclude yes well i think that [00:20:43] Speaker 1: there are two things that i should mention uh in order to answer your question the first one is that we are going through a very serious escalation phase okay russia is escalating uh its attacks against ukraine and uh as you said romania has a a border with ukraine what is less known again is that romania shares the longest border uh with ukraine uh among the the uh the neighbors of ukraine that are members of u eu or or nato so romania is probably the country uh that is most exposed to the spillover uh effects of of this uh was uh of this war uh so we are very worried uh uh to see that because of the escalation um uh of uh of the russian campaign against ukraine um romania and not only romania but nato uh is uh so severely impacted by by the russian aggression by by the russian aggression secondly uh and uh and uh the two elements are related and you will see why secondly we have always been very encouraged and hopeful to see uh um president president trump's uh peace initiatives uh precisely because romania is so exposed to uh the uh direct or indirect consequences or effects of of this war so we support politically very much moreover we define our uh security and military cooperation with united states in precisely this logic romania is uh has been able to contain uh the the the consequences of the russian uh aggressions we are the world champions when it comes to downing the the drones um precisely because we take very seriously our responsibilities as nato members and we would like to keep this conflict as far away um uh from the the nato borders as of course yeah and and for that reason uh precisely we see with great hope all this uh uh uh peace initiatives and we would like to see them uh fruitful uh of course uh we would like to see this war uh stop of course um that the nature and the substance of the peace is is also uh very important because an unjust peace is not really a peace what because it would it would it will not last uh for that reason it is important um to uh to uh to achieve a ceasefire that that is the first step and only the first step only uh and and then to achieve a a just and lasting peace um a peace that will will allow ukraine to strengthen its uh [00:24:03] Speaker 2: sovereignty and and uh freedom yes well and and i think you know obviously there's there's much focus on on um the the fighting that's taken place since uh 2022 but as for those of us including at the daily signal who who we previously had a war correspondent in in kiev uh know that this goes back to what 2014 really a [00:24:25] Speaker 1: lot of the fighting yeah yeah yeah exactly i was serving as an ambassador to the to the republic of moldova so as i was very much uh um exposed to the news and to the russian tactics in the region actually uh [00:24:39] Speaker 2: mentioning the republic of moldova yes please i wanted to ask you about moldova anyway so please give us [00:24:44] Speaker 1: an update um well there is a lot to say about the republic of moldova but let me start by saying that actually russia has defined its modus operandi in the region with the republic of moldova with the war in transnistria transnistria is a runaway region of the republic of moldova it is a state quote unquote state that is not recognized by by anybody in the world and it has been created uh following a a covered russian intervention in in the region um so i believe that and this is our official assessment if you want uh we believe in romania that with the exception of course of ukraine the republic of moldova is the country that suffers most from the consequences of the war and that deserves a lot of political attention uh for that reason but also uh help and and romania has been doing a lot to help the republic of moldova a country with which we share [00:25:54] Speaker 2: a lot uh starting with the language and history yes yes um thinking uh as we wrap up here thinking about um your time in washington uh what would you like to return to romania what what message would you like to return to romania with from uh from your visits with the trump administration and other uh diplomats you're you're seeing here in the nation's capitol well a confirmation that uh [00:26:19] Speaker 1: uh um my interlocutors uh understand the value uh that romania brings to the common uh table um that romania is open for business uh that romania um i will it it may look like a joke but it's not really a joke um um we love to drill um and neptune deep is a strategically important project for romania it is a gas project uh offshore uh in the black sea project exposed for that reason to the russian uh threats and and provocations um and and uh uh this project is important not only for romania and for europe it is important for the united states uh as well because uh it will help us romania and europe to diversify away from uh the russian sources of uh of gas actually romania has a long tradition of of drilling uh and a long tradition of uh bilateral cooperation actually one of the first refineries in the world if not the first one was a romanian american uh project in employees and and and um so we we have a long tradition in this respect we love to drill and we are open for business in strategic [00:27:48] Speaker 2: sectors of our economy well thank you so much for spending the time with us uh ambassador lazerka and i uh certainly um learned a lot myself and i wish you well on your visit uh to to the united states and uh and hope that uh you'll keep uh us posted uh including even if it's not in the form of an interview uh updates uh for the daily signal audience to hear what's going on in romania absolutely i am [00:28:15] Speaker 1: very grateful for the invitation it's been my impression a a very good discussion of course there are many other topics that we could have spoken about but let's leave this for a second dialogue [00:28:30] Speaker 2: there are many other topics thank you thank you thank you [00:28:38] Speaker ?: you