Congressman Ike Skelton "I am so proud of our strong military relationship with Romania"

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, led by The Honorable Ike Skelton, Committee Chairman, met today with State Secretary for Armaments Aurel Ionel Lascu and with Romanian Army Chief of Staff Admiral Gheorghe Marin. The two sides discussed cooperation in joint missions on the battlefield and collaboration in various sectors, such as education, military personnel, and procurement.

After the meeting at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters, the U.S. delegation, which included six members of Congress, visited the Emergency Military Hospital "Dr. Carol Davila" where they met Romanian soldiers wounded in missions in Afghanistan and Iraq who are currently under treatment.

The Congressmen thanked the Romanian veterans for their sacrifice and heroism in the fight against terrorism and for their support of shared values of freedom and democracy, andconveyed to them the gratitude of the American people.

"I am so proud of our strong military relationship with Romania. It was such an honor not only to meet with military leadership, but also to meet and talk with the wounded warriors we visited at the hospital. All of Romania has to be very grateful and proud of what they do for the cause of freedom, and we ought to thank them for what they did fighting side by side with our young men and young women in Iraq and Afghanistan," said the Honorable Ike Skelton after concluding the visit at the military hospital.