Romania is advocating for a stronger military presence of the United States on its soil amidst security threats in the Black Sea region, national security adviser Marius-Gabriel Lazurca said in an interview to CNN on Thursday, on a visit to Washington, where he participated in key meetings on defence and foreign relations.

'We know that we need the help of all our allies and especially the help of the United States. And for that reason, we advocate for a stronger military presence of the United States in Romania,' Lazurca said.

The Romanian official mentioned the security situation in the Black Sea region and said that, to date, more than 600 ships have been hit in the Black Sea, and more than 115 drones violated Romania's airspace.

'We are facing a quite dire security situation. Romania gets stronger by the day, is able to shut down some of the drones, is able to defend the border of the North Atlantic Alliance,' said the presidential adviser.

Asked if NATO's response to these incidents was enough, Lazurca admitted that there was room for improvement, saying that things are in flux and the allies were trying to adjust to the new circumstances.

'In this respect, of course, there is room for improvement, but we are happy to see that the allies have expressed their solidarity, and that also many allies sent new and modern capabilities, military capabilities, to Romania,' he said.

Asked whether he thinks if the Democrats take the House and possibly the Senate after the midterm elections of November 3, that would increase the odds that Romania will get the security cooperation it wants from the United States, Lazurca said that he has no reason to complain about the current cooperation and that he is confident in the continuity of the bilateral relationship.

' I have no reasons to complain about the security cooperation we have right now, and we are confident that our relationship with the United States will function in the future as it has functioned until now,' the presidential adviser said.

During the interview, the CNN journalist also addressed the issue of trust in the United States, given the Trump administration's relationship with Russia and the distrust shown towards Washington in some European states. Lazurca said that Romania is an exception in this context and cited a recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation according to which 72% of Romanians would like to see a strengthened relationship with the United States, which is well above the European Union average.
The presidential adviser said the he was optimistic about the developments in the relationship between Romania and the United States, adding that his conversations in Washington have been 'warm and cordial,' but it is too early for him to share the reactions of the American officials. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Mariana Ionescu; EN - editing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)