Readout of Vice President Biden's Meeting with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos of Romania

The Vice President met today with Prime Minister of Romania Dacian Ciolos. The Vice President praised Prime Minister Ciolos's efforts to implement critically-needed governance and rule of law reforms, noting that continued progress on reforms will further strengthen Romania's democratic and economic development and the economic partnership between Romania and the United States. The Vice President thanked Prime Minister Ciolos for Romania's contributions to the Counter-ISIL Coalition and to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, and he expressed condolences over the deaths of two Romanian soldiers killed in Afghanistan on May 7. The leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring that Allies take steps in the lead-up to the July 8-9 NATO Summit in Warsaw to strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defense posture on the eastern and southern flanks. The leaders also discussed the importance of the development of Romania's energy sector to European energy security and noted the need to support and accelerate Moldova's reform efforts.