103. Telegram From the Embassy in Romania to the Department of State1
SUBJECT
- President Ceausescu’s Response to President Reagan’s Letter.
REF
- Bucharest 9401.2
- 1.
- C—Entire text.
- 2.
- On Dec 29 Foreign Minister Stefan Andrei delivered to Ambassador a copy of President Ceausescu’s letter responding to the letter sent by President Reagan (see reftel). The text of the English translation of the letter prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs follows in paragraph 4. The copy of the letter in the Romanian language which was given to the Ambassador will be pouched to the Department.3 The Foreign Minister said that the original of the message would be delivered in Washington by Romanian Ambassador to the U.S. Mircea Malita, who departed Bucharest on Dec 28 for that purpose.
- 3.
- Remarks made by the Foreign Minister about the forthcoming visit of Undersecretary Eagleburger and other matters follow by septel.4
- 4.
- Begin text.
Bucharest, December 1982
Dear Mr. President,
I have received your personal letter, submitted to me by the United States’ Ambassador in Bucharest at the beginning of December.
Indeed, I appreciate as well as you do, that the relations between Romania and the United States of America have a great importance for both our countries.
I would like, on my turn, to underline the mutual development of the commercial exchanges following 1969 and the necessity to further cooperate in order to ensure their expansion in the future. It is true that under conditions created after 1969 the American exports to Romania were much larger and therefore the United States [Page 292] companies were favoured. Lately, we took a series of measures to ensure the continuous expansion of the economic exchanges but on a balanced basis.
At the same time, our countries cooperated extensively regarding international matters for a solution of the Middle East conflict and, in general, for settling the war and conflictual situations, for a normalization of relations between the U.S.A. and other states, for a policy of peace, detente, cooperation and national independence, against any resort to or threat with force.
I think that in the course of the general development of the Romanian-American relations the exchange of messages at the highest level, fruitfully continued with you as well, played an important role.
In this spirit, I would like from the beginning to tell you openly that I have been surprised by the way your letter tackles with the matter of the decree of the State Council of the Socialist Republic of Romania regarding the obligations of the citizens who ask and get approval to settle abroad to repay the Romanian state the expenses made for their education.
This decree relates in no way with the relations between Romania and the U.S.A. and does not refer to the problem of emigration. The decree regulates the relations between the Romanian citizens and the Romanian state and constitutes a strictly internal matter for Romania.
The Romanian-American relations, developed especially after 1969, were based on equality in rights, respect of independence and national sovereignty, non-interference into internal affairs and mutual advantage.
In the joint declarations signed with three Presidents of the U.S.A., as well as in the messages exchanged with you, the desire to further develop the relations between our countries, based on these principles, has been reaffirmed.
I wish to specify that in Romania education is free and compulsory for the first 10 classes. Further on, education is free but not compulsory and its role is to ensure the training of specialists depending on the needs for the country’s economic and social development. The measures foreseen in the decree start from the fact that in Romania, the state, the people, pays for all expenses for education and the graduates have the obligation to work in the enterprises that offered them grants or in other places allotted to them by the state.
It is, therefore, normal that the persons educated in Romania on the state and the Romanian people expenses and wishing to leave the country, to reimburse the Romanian state, repaying the expenses made for their education at the level paid by the foreign students who study in Romania on their own account and do not benefit of a grant offered by Romania.
[Page 293]Otherwise, there are already internal regulations in different countries regarding the obligations that the specialists have towards the state or towards the institutions that granted them scholarships during their studies.
I wish to tell you that when Romania gets technical assistance from abroad, 5–6,000 dollars monthly have to be paid for every foreign specialist.
Specialists trained in Romania who settle abroad bring revenues to the companies and states that employ them and it is clear that the Romanian people cannot train on its own account specialists to bring revenues to other states or companies.
The decree joins the actions adopted in the international arena in order to put an end to the drawing of these specialists from different countries and, first of all, from the developing countries. A few days ago, the General Assembly of the United Nations Organisation adopted a special resolution in connection with putting an end to the exodus of specialists from the developing countries. In fact, Romania has no agreement nor an international obligation towards anybody, including the U.S.A., to train on the Romanian people’s expenses, specialists who, afterwards, work in different countries or for different companies.
As I pointed out, the measures contained in this decree do not regard the United States and are not applied especially to the Romanian citizens who would like to settle permanently in the U.S.A. By this decree a number of procedures for those who wish to leave Romania for good and work in another country are simplified and the period for solving their request becomes shorter.
The remark in your letter concerning the link between the economic difficulties of Romania and this decree starts from false information, from ignoring the realities from Romania. We do not intend to encourage in any way the emigration, we do not want and, as a matter of fact, it is not possible to solve in this way the economic problems of Romania, the Romanian economy being strong enough to be able to surpass the consequences generated by the world economic crisis in all the states of the world.
I was surprised by the reference in your letter to the trade agreement between our countries, that provided the granting of the most favoured nation clause. It is true that after 1969 the Romanian-American economic exchanges were strongly developed and we would like further development of these relations, but in the spirit written in the trade agreement, namely without conditions and without interference in the internal affairs of Romania.
The development of the economic relations and, in general, of the rapports between our countries is in the mutual advantage, in the interest of the policy of peace and cooperation in the world. I hope that such [Page 294] measures that would mean an infringement of the agreements and the principles of the relations between states will not be adopted. It is obvious that in the event of adopting such measures, the responsibility will revert on those imposing them.
Romania is very fond of her policy of independence, has rejected any attempts of interference in her internal affairs, of imposing political or any other kind of conditions and will not admit in the future, too, such conditions from anybody. Romania will continue this policy in the future as well, will act as it deems necessary, in the spirit of the policy of equality in rights, of independence and non-interference in the internal affairs.
In the spirit of the policy of cooperation with all the states, we would like to ensure a general development of our relations with the United States of America. In this respect, we would like to find a settlement which will lead to the intensification and the broadening of the political contacts, to the developing of the commercial exchanges and not to raising obstacles on the way of the economic cooperation. At the same time, we would like to continue to cooperate in solving various international issues in the interest of the policy of peace and equality, for solving the problems in the Middle East and other regions of the world, for a policy of disarmament, to stop the deployment of missiles in Europe, for the reduction and the withdrawal of the existing ones, for understanding, detente and international security.
In this regard, I am ready to discuss and reach a direct settlement from the government to government and I agree with your proposal concerning the coming to Bucharest of your personal representative. I agree as well with the discussions between our representatives, at the level deemed necessary, respectively the State Department and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in order to find a solution concarning the way in which the situation of those wishing to settle permanently in the USA is regulated.
Acting as we did in the past, when we discussed issues even more difficult and found suitable solutions, mutually advantageous, I hope that by joint efforts, starting from the equality in rights, the respect of independence and non-interference in the internal affairs, a solution could be reached this time too in order to ensure the continuation of the relations in the political, economic and other fields, the development of [garble] of friendship and cooperation between our countries and peoples.
Concluding, I would like to stress that we bear the responsibility of cooperating for the development of the relations between our countries, (for the continuation of the mutual advantageous economic exchanges, for the extension of the cooperation in solving the big issues of the international life, to achieve disarmament, to implement [Page 295] a new international economic order, to solve all the litigious problems through negotiations, for peace and international security. This way we will respond to and serve the aspirations of our peoples for friendship and cooperation, the general cause of detente, cooperation and peace.
Sincerely yours,
Nicolae Ceausescu
His Excellency
Mr. Ronald Reagan
President of the United States of America
White House
End text.
- Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Head of State File, Romania: President Ceausescu (8106944) (1). Confidential; Immediate; Exdis. Printed from a copy that was received in the White House Situation Room.↩
- See Document 101.↩
- The letter in Romanian is in the Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Head of State File, Romania: President Ceausescu (8106944) (1).↩
- Telegram 10091 from Bucharest, December 29. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D820672–0651)↩