The Romania of 2026 must be an active security provider within NATO, particularly on the Eastern Flank and in the Black Sea region, while the Strategic Partnership with the United States is an anchor of security and development, Senate President Mircea Abrudean said on Monday at the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy.

'We are living through a period in which international relations are being reshaped. Europe's security architecture is being tested every day - politically, economically and militarily. That is why, in this context, foreign policy must be viewed as a strategic instrument to be used in a coordinated and pragmatic manner, not merely as a response when needed or in times of crisis. Diplomacy means identifying solutions to make peace possible. Diplomacy is an exercise in intelligence, discretion and tact,' Abrudean said.

He thanked Romanian diplomats for their efforts, noting that Romania has a duty to assume the role of a security contributor and that their work is essential.

'The Romania of 2026 must be an active security provider within NATO, particularly on the Eastern Flank and in the Black Sea region. And no, this is not a rhetorical ambition; it is a necessity dictated by the geopolitical reality of our region. The fact that last week we secured the first tranche under the European SAFE instrument demonstrates the Romanian state's operational capacity to respond to today's security challenges, including by integrating into the new European strategic mechanisms. But in order to consolidate this position, Romania's diplomatic action must be based on clear, well-defined strategic directions and backed by strong arguments,' Mircea Abrudean said.

The Senate president stressed that Romania is a member of NATO and the European Union and has solid partnerships with the United States and other allies in Europe and on other continents, emphasising that 'the Strategic Partnership with the United States is an anchor of security and development'.

'We cannot talk about the security of Romania and the wider Black Sea region without a strengthened US presence - military, economic and technological. From a military perspective, the presence of US troops on our territory represents the strongest security guarantee Romania has had in its modern history. But the security component must be matched by economic integration on a comparable scale. We need to step up dialogue to attract direct US investment in strategic sectors. At the same time, the partnership with the United States must also cover other areas: cybersecurity, technology transfer and the protection of critical infrastructure,' Abrudean said.

According to him, 'the partnership with Washington must be a daily priority on the Romanian diplomacy agenda and translated into concrete initiatives'.

'Starting from this strategic anchor, we can address the situation in the Black Sea region with maturity,' Abrudean said, adding that the Black Sea is now a 'centre of gravity for Euro-Atlantic security'.

He stressed that security means not only deterrence and defence capabilities, but also 'guaranteeing freedom of navigation and protecting critical energy and data infrastructure'.

Abrudean also said that 'Romania's assistance to the Republic of Moldova must lead to rapid and irreversible integration into the European space' and, in this context, 'accelerating energy and road interconnections' between the two countries is 'essential'.

'The Republic of Moldova must be permanently freed from energy blackmail and structurally connected to the European market through Romania. At the same time, our technical assistance for harmonising legislation and reforming the administration in Chisinau must continue. The Romanian Parliament is already engaged in this effort, while diplomacy has the task of keeping the Republic of Moldova permanently on the radar of European decision-making in support of rapid integration,' he said.

Mircea Abrudean also stressed that support for Ukraine remains a constant of Romania's foreign policy.

'We must be clear and emphasise that keeping the front line away from our borders is vital to national security. Our diplomatic efforts must also focus on positioning Romania as a central hub for Ukraine's reconstruction. We have the geographical advantage, developing infrastructure and the political will to become a logistics, energy and expertise hub for the post-conflict reconstruction effort,' he said.

According to Abrudean, security efforts must be matched by an equally ambitious economic drive. 'Romania has recently been going through a difficult and unpopular process of systemic economic reform,' while foreign investment, support for Romanian companies and the use of external instruments for development 'must be approached more boldly', he said.

He added that Parliament's recent vote on legislation undertaken under the NRRP shows that 'Romania has the strength to bear the costs of structural modernisation'.

'We have shortcomings too, yes. We have not got everything right. But if there is political commitment, then we should recognise that we can also learn from failures so that we do not repeat them. This is where a country's maturity truly comes into play, and that is also reflected in its foreign policy,' Abrudean said.

The Senate president also spoke about the objective of joining the OECD, describing membership as 'recognition of the status of a functioning market economy' and a 'mechanism for aligning public policies with the highest global standards'.

'The role of parliamentary diplomacy is in no way less important than that of traditional diplomacy. Romanian parliamentarians' contacts with their foreign counterparts are an insufficiently exploited resource and must be used more actively, and the Romanian Senate is ready to support embassy teams. Cooperation between state institutions ensures not only our credibility at home, but also abroad,' Abrudean said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Alina Novaceanu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)