[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 174 (Monday, December 5, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1585]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING ROMANIA'S GREAT UNION DAY

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL R. TURNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 5, 2016

  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, as the co-Chairman of the Congressional 
Romania Caucus and as the former President of the North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization Parliamentary Assembly, I congratulate Romania on its 
Great Union Day. Romania is celebrating the anniversary of its 
unification on December 1, 1918.
  Romania is a loyal U.S. and NATO ally. Romania and the United States 
work closely together to confront a host of global challenges, 
including through our joint efforts to bolster regional defense, halt 
nuclear proliferation, and increase energy security. With the signing 
of the U.S.-Romania Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement in September 
2011, Romania established itself as a key strategic partner in NATO's 
emerging missile defense capabilities effort. The Missile Defense 
Interceptor site at Deveselu Air Base near the Bulgarian border, which 
became operational in May 2016, now provides missile defense protection 
to our allies in Europe and the Middle East.
  Tragically, ongoing events in Ukraine are unsettling the region and 
testing the transatlantic alliance. As you know, Russia seeks to once 
again destabilize much of Eastern Europe and restore influence over 
territories lost following the collapse of the Soviet Union. That is 
why it is critically important for the United States, Romania, and 
other European allies to continue to work together to strengthen the 
transatlantic alliance and bolster regional security.
  The strategic partnership between the United States and Romania has 
greatly advanced our common interests in promoting transatlantic and 
regional security and free market opportunities. Our partnership should 
continue to foster greater economic and cultural exchanges, trade and 
investment, and social contacts.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in celebrating 
Romania's Great Union Day.

                          ____________________