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US Ambassador to Bucharest: Romania needs to decrease its deficit and enlarge its private sector

Romania should not only cut its deficit as requested by the International Monetary Fund and other international lending organisations, but it should also expand its private sector, U.S. Ambassador in Bucharest Mark Gitenstein said on Monday.

Today, as in the last 130 years, the United States' priority is to see Romania become an efficient democracy backed by an active, transparent and efficient free market. In order to succeed, Romania should not only cut its deficit as requested by the International Monetary Fund and other international lending organisations, but it should also expand its private sector, Gitenstein told a special session hosted by the Romanian Academy's Auditorium to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and the United States of America.

He stressed that only 22 percent of the Romanians currently work in the private sector, while in the 'successful neighbouring countries' the percentages are different. Thus, 43 percent of the population works in the private sector in Germany, 40 percent in Slovenia and 36 percent in Ukraine.

From this viewpoint, Romania is only half a percentage point ahead of Moldova, which has barely begun to develop its market economy, the ambassador pointed out.

According to Gitenstein, after the 1989 Revolution Romania, by joining NATO and the European Union, with the support from the U.S. and other Western allies, has begun to develop an economy it should be able to sustain by its own forces, and this is the main purpose of the 'painful decisions' (the anti-crisis measures - editor's note) over which the Government is seeking a confidence vote.

The U.S. ambassador also referred to an address by European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek who, during a visit to Bucharest last days, stressed Romania should 'heal its economy and in order to do this we must take medicine that tastes bad, but that is necessary'.

Beneficial business climate needs corruption-free judicial system

Romania needs an encouragement of its private sector, but a transparent corruption-free judicial system is needed in order to have a beneficial business climate, U.S. Ambassador to Romania Mark Gitenstein told a special meeting commemorating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and the United States hosted by the Romanian Academy's Auditorium on Monday.

Gitenstein stressed he and his colleagues at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest invest much time and energy for the encouragement of the private sector development, not only by assisting the U.S. companies in entering the Romanian market and prospering, but also by supporting a business climate beneficial to the American and Romanian companies. However, he adds, this needs a transparent corruption-free judicial system and a Government that should make predictable and reasonable decisions.

Gitenstein insisted that none of the strategic initiatives or alliances Romania is part of is sustainable without an efficient robust economy. The support offered by Romania in Iraq and Afghanistan is particularly appreciated. Romania's acceptance to host the anti-missile defence system in its territory is extremely important to the United States and to the countries neighbouring Romania. You are one of our most trustworthy allies in the region and we continue to need you, he said.

The ambassador pointed out that the United States' real responsibility is to help Romania rebuild its free markets and strengthen its democracy. He said the flow of Romanian immigrants to the U.S. is influenced by the economic stability, the higher wages and better working conditions in the States, and this is the reason why the Visa Waiver remains an important bilateral issue.

President Traian Basescu, although not being able to attend the event at the Romanian Academy, delivered a message by his advisor Iulian Fota.

'I wish to thank the United States for the support given so that we may achieve a successful transition from the tyranny of communism to democracy and from a centralised economy to a market one. The road we travelled during this period would have been infinitely more difficult without a substantial contribution on behalf of the United States', the President's message says.

Basescu stressed Romania and the U.S. are currently cultivating a relation both countries call strategic and one that involves a multitude of aspects specific of the bilateral cooperation.

The value of the partnership with the U.S. cannot exclusively consist in the support the country can give Romania at moments of need, but it should also consist in the mutuality spirit with which Romania itself should tackle the U.S. international commitments.

'We will continue to cooperate on countering the current risks and threats to the security of Romania and of other NATO members. The recent decision to host elements of the U.S. anti-missile system in the Romanian territory is fresh proof of the solidity of the Romanian-American relation and makes a substantial contribution to the development of the NATO mission that will provide the defence of the entire territory and the population of the allied states against the ballistic missile threat', Basescu said.

Sursa: http://www.actmedia.eu

Tags: romania united gitenstein romanian economy system international states should needs bucharest deficit private sector ambassador

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