Joint Communique‚ Following Discussions With President Ceausescu of Romania.

AT the invitation of President Richard Nixon and Mrs. Nixon, the President of the State Council of the Socialist Republic of Romania Nicolae Ceausescu and Mrs. Ceausescu paid an official visit to the United States of America, between December 4-7, 1973. They also visited Wilmington, N.C., Cleveland, Hartford, and New York.

During his stay in Washington, President Ceausescu conducted talks with President Nixon on the development of U.S.-Romanian relations as well as a number of international issues. The talks proceeded in a cordial atmosphere of mutual esteem and respect.

Noting with deep satisfaction the fact that the relations between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Romania have been developing positively in many fields in the past years, the two Presidents concurrently expressed their interest in further expanding and diversifying U.S.-Romanian cooperation.

With the view to deepening and further developing the relations between the United States and Romania and strengthening their contributions to the cause of peace and international security, President Nixon and President Ceausescu signed the Joint Statement of December 5, 1973 containing the principles on which the relations between their two nations are based.¹

¹See Item 350.

The two Presidents also agreed that concrete steps would be taken in order to give a new impetus to economic cooperation. For this purpose, they adopted a Joint Statement on Economic, Industrial and Technological Cooperation.²

²See Item 351.

On the occasion of the visit, the following bilateral agreements were signed: a Convention with Respect to Taxes on Income and Property, a Civil Air Transport Agreement, and an Agreement Regarding Fisheries in the Western Region of the Middle Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at the same time, agreed to establish a Joint U.S.-Romanian Economic Council to consider problems of business facilitation in an effort to broaden and support economic relations between the two countries.

The two Presidents welcomed the continuing expansion of cultural and scientific relations between the two countries. Their talks included useful and cordial exchanges of view on international issues including those relating to Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and cooperation in the United Nations.

The two Presidents expressed satisfaction with the results of their talks and agreed to continue the bilateral dialogue both through the usual diplomatic channels and by meetings at all levels.

President and Mrs. Ceausescu expressed their cordial thanks to President and Mrs. Nixon for the friendly reception and hospitality extended to them during the visit, regarding it as an expression of the friendship and mutual esteem existing between the Romanian and American peoples.

President Ceausescu invited President and Mrs. Nixon for an official visit to Romania. The invitation was accepted with pleasure. The visit will take place at a mutually agreeable future date.