The Romanian Ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, stated on Tuesday that authorities in Bucharest are working with the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies in the United States to facilitate Romania’s reentry into the Visa Waiver Program.
He specified that significant steps have been taken, but there is no guarantee that this will happen soon.
"We are now working with the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies in the United States to facilitate Romania's attempt to reenter the Visa Waiver Program, and we believe that significant progress has been made since May when this decision was made. Obviously, there is no guarantee that Romania will reenter the program anytime soon, but we believe we have a very good chance and a very good dialogue with both the White House and the State Department."
Because what Romania is proposing to the United States at this moment is the most extensive partnership regarding border protection and security cooperation among all participating states in the Visa Waiver Program up to this point, including the 42 states, which means that Romania is well above other states in this field in terms of standards," stated Andrei Muraru, present in Bucharest at the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy.
According to him, no American official has associated the cancellation of the elections on December 6, 2024 with Romania's exclusion from the Visa Waiver Program.
"There are assessments and perceptions that could lead to this idea, but no American official, neither in the discussions we have had behind closed doors nor in public, has associated the two events - the cancellation of the elections on December 6 last year with Romania's exclusion from the Visa Waiver Program," added the Romanian Ambassador to the United States.
Andrei Muraru specified that, apart from the statement issued by the Department of Homeland Security, there are no other explanations from the American side.
"Apart from the very brief statement issued by the Department of Homeland Security at the beginning of May, there are no other explanations, neither related to illegal immigration, because Romania has always traditionally had a very low figure," mentioned the ambassador.
On May 2, the administration of the American president, Donald Trump, announced the withdrawal of Romania from the Visa Waiver Program, which allows visa-free travel to the United States.