Oana Țoiu, in Washington: “Romania can protect the region from the use of energy prices as a weapon of political blackmail”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Țoiu, conveyed to Washington that Romania assumes a strategic responsibility as the largest producer of natural gas in the European Union and aims to increase production in order to reduce domestic prices and contribute to protecting the region against the use of energy as a tool of political blackmail, according to a statement sent on Saturday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statements were made during a public event organized by the Hudson Institute, in Washington, on the sidelines of the Romanian Foreign Minister's participation in the first Ministerial Meeting on Critical Minerals, hosted by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance.

“As the largest producer of natural gas in the European Union, Romania assumes a strategic responsibility. Our mission is to increase our production in the coming years to lower prices at home and help protect the region against the use of energy prices as a weapon of political blackmail and to ensure a viable and safe alternative to Russian resources,” said Țoiu, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the quoted source, the Foreign Minister explained how “the economic success of Romania – whose economy has grown tenfold in a single generation – now overlaps with the need for resilience of the entire transatlantic bloc”.

“Our relationship with the United States has a history of more than 120 years, starting with the first American investors in the Romanian energy sector. Today, we are ready to take this partnership to the next level by collaborating in areas of high technology and critical minerals, essential for the future of both nations,” she added.