Romania secured funding of nearly two billion euros for strategic projects in energy, infrastructure and economic development following a government delegation visit to Washington, D.C. and New York, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare announced on Monday.

'Concrete results and secured financing of 2 billion euro. Romania is strengthening its credibility in the US and delivering for the economy. The visit to Washington, D.C. and New York, where I led the government delegation made up of the ministers of Energy, European Funds and Health, concludes with concrete results for financing the economy and boosting Romania's strategic projects,' Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

According to him, the visit was structured around three main directions: meetings with international financial institutions, with investors and rating agencies, and with representatives of the US administration.

'It is important to underscore that many of the results achieved in recent days are the outcome of discussions started during earlier visits to the United States, which are now beginning to materialise into concrete financing and ongoing projects. The discussions with international financial institutions mainly focused on securing funding for major projects in energy, infrastructure and economic development. With the World Bank Group we held high-level meetings, including with President Ajay Banga - a privileged dialogue at Finance minister level and a clear signal regarding the importance of Romania's projects,' Nazare added.

Among the results of these discussions is the securing of nearly 1 billion euro for the refurbishment of Reactor 1 at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, a strategic project for Romania's energy security, alongside 495 million euro for Transgaz projects aimed at modernising and expanding natural gas transmission networks.

At the same time, the Finance minister said that 90 million euro will be available for support measures in the context of the current economic and energy crises, adding that these are only part of the concrete funding obtained within the visit.

'Also within the dialogue with international financial institutions, we advanced strategic projects such as the Black Sea A.I. Gigafactory - Romania's digital sovereignty project, as well as the development of modern financing instruments for the economy, including by strengthening the role of the BID - Investment and Development Bank,' the official also wrote.

He also said that with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Romania secured the removal of sovereign guarantees previously required for the EBRD's dedicated financing of Reactor 1 at Cernavoda, strengthened cooperation for public-private partnership projects and proposed the participation of the EBRD in an investment fund created together with the BID.

'A key pillar of the visit was represented by the meetings with international investors and rating agencies, where we presented recent economic developments, including the fact that budget execution in the first quarter indicates a deficit half that of the same period last year - an important signal regarding the effectiveness of fiscal consolidation measures,' Nazare mentioned.

According to him, the main message conveyed to investors was that Romania maintains its fiscal adjustment and macroeconomic stability path, essential elements for maintaining investment-grade ratings, reducing financing costs and keeping public debt under control.

'We also organised meetings with investors hosted by international financial institutions such as the Bank of America, the HSBC, the Deutsche Bank and the ING. These dialogues are essential to ensuring Romania's access to financing under competitive conditions,' the minister added.

The third important pillar of the visit was represented by meetings with representatives of the US administration, including the White House, the Department of Commerce, the US Department of Energy and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

'The Romanian delegation received a very good welcome and clear signals of support, including in the context of the position assumed by our country in the current international context. This visit confirmed that Romania is perceived as a credible and predictable partner, and that long-standing relationships are beginning to generate concrete results,' the Finance minister said.

The entire series of meetings in Washington and New York had the clear objective of securing financing for strategic projects and strengthening investor confidence in Romania's economy. The results obtained - funding worth billions of euros for energy, infrastructure and economic development - confirm a significant step forward in Romania's relations with the United States and the effectiveness of government action, the Facebook post also mentioned.

'In a difficult global context marked by economic and geopolitical uncertainties, seriousness in dialogue with international markets, government consistency and maintaining reform targets must remain the key messages. In order to advance major strategic projects, Romania must remain a stable, predictable partner capable of delivering results,' Alexandru Nazare added. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nicoleta Banciulea; EN - writing by: Rodica State)