US ambassador to Bucharest: We hope for a Patriot missiles deal by year end

Hans Klemm, the US ambassador to Bucharest, said he hoped a deal concerning the Romania’s acquisition of Patriot missiles could be reached by the end of the year, Agerpres reported. “We hope to reach, by the end of 2017, a deal concerning the acquisition of Patriot missiles,” Klemm said. Last month, National Defense Ministry (MApN) representatives said the country sent a request to the United States government showing its interest in buying Patriot missiles. Reacting to the announcement about the country’s intention to purchase Patriot missiles, Social Democrat Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea said he had expected “more rigor” from the head of Romania’s Armed Forces General Staff Nicolae Ciuca, who made the initial announcement. Dragnea also explained that the parliamentary procedures on the topic had not been finished yet, according to News.ro. Gabriel Les, the Defense Minister, said on April 30, that the Patriot missiles system is one of the possible solutions taken into consideration but that no decisions had been made yet, Agerpres reported. Ambassador Klem also said the United States is “very grateful to Romania for the decision of increasing the defense budget to 2% of its GDP, in accordance with the NATO provisions.” The US ambassador also spoke of the Romanian – US trade relations, in the context of the American-Romanian Business Council (AMRO) visit in Bucharest this March. “I believe there are important perspectives for the increase of US investments in Romania, but also for individual agreements between members of the commercial mission,” he said. He added that the March AMRO visit would be “followed by another one, this fall, even larger, in October.” “We hope 100 companies will come to Romania then.” Ambassador Klem said that the US – Romania cooperation fields vary “from agriculture to defense.” The Patriot missiles are a long-range, all-altitude, air defense system designed to intercept other missiles. Thirteen countries own Patriot missiles: U.S., The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan, Greece, Qatar, Spain, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. The components of the Patriot system are inter-operable, allowing NATO member countries to collaborate in assembling a defense system that could be installed in a remote region.