175. Letter From Romanian President Ceausescu to President Reagan1
In connection with your letter sent by Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead,2 I wish to acquaint you with the following facts:
Rumania has always acted in conformance with the Rumanian-American agreement of 1975. Although it has opposed the Jackson-Vanik Amendment from the outset, Rumania, in the spirit of its humanitarian policy, has always given exit visas to persons who have requested them for reunification of their families or for other justified reasons. You yourself have stated on several occasions, including in the message you sent me recently, that Rumania has acted responsibly in satisfying requests for family reunification.
I was surprised that in your message you also referred to some so-called economic, humanitarian, religious, and other problems in Rumania. In my discussions with Deputy Secretary of State Whitehead I dealt with all these problems in detail, thus I shall touch upon them only briefly here.
I wish to say first of all that all these problems concern the domestic policy of our country and cannot under any circumstances be the subject of discussions between Rumania and the United States. If we were to disucss them, we would have to point out that the United States has many economic and social problems, including that of democracy, with which we do not agree. But we believe that they are your affair and that it is the responsibility of the U.S. Government to resolve them.
In regard to economic problems, I should like to mention that in the international economic conditions of the last few years the Rumanian [Page 486] economy has continued to develop at an annual rate of 5–6 percent. We have ensured a continual growth of the national revenue and of workers’ incomes, as well as a rise in the financial and spiritual well-being of our entire people. We have eliminated to a great extent the country’s foreign debt, even paying it off in advance. Therefore, on the basis of these facts, we do not understand where you obtain your information about Rumania’s so-called economic problems to which you refer in your letter. One might well speak, however, of the difficulties in the U.S. economy that have a serious effect upon international economic relations, as well as the economic and financial relations of the United States with other countries, particularly the developing countries. Many political figures, economists, and scientists, as well as institutes specializing in the United States, speak openly about the great deficiencies in the American economy and their effect upon U.S. relations with other countries.
As regards problems of democracy, we have created in Rumania a unique broad-based democratic system that ensures the effective, direct participation of the entire people in the governmental process, a system incomparably superior to many other democratic systems, including that of the United States.
I was particularly surprised that you referred in your letter to the so-called problems of nationalities, which allegedly do not enjoy full rights in Rumania. I think you are well aware that Rumania is a unitary national state in which a limited number of citizens of non-Rumanian nationality have been living alongside the Rumanian population for many centuries. The laws of the country ensure equal rights and obligations; there is no discrimination or restriction of any kind. Only former Horthyists, nationalists, and Hungarian irredentists speak of the so-called nationality problem in Rumania, thereby calling into question the current borders and seeking the revision of international treaties. I believe that you are familiar with the Trianon Peace Treaty—signed by the United States in 1920—and the Paris Peace Treaty of February 10, 1947, to which the United States is also a signatory. Both treaties recognize the international borders of Rumania.
We want the traditional relations between the United States and Rumania to develop according to the principles of international law—complete equality in rights, respect for independence and national sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual advantage. I think I should emphasize that Rumania strongly adheres to its traditional policy of independence and adamantly rejects any encroachment upon its national independence and sovereignity.
As regards your reference to the difficulties involved in approving the most favored nation clause, I should like to inform you that we have decided to reject extension of this clause under the conditions set forth [Page 487] by the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. It is our view that approval of this clause should be based on the existing trade agreement, renouncing any preconditions. In this connection, we propose that representatives of our government and of the U.S. administration discuss the modalities of developing economic relations between our countries, in accordance with the provisions of the current trade agreement and renouncing any preconditions.
We realize that it is in the interest of our peoples that the presidents of the two countries not undertake anything which could impair the traditional relations of friendship between them, but that everything be done to develop these relations and to strengthen cooperation throughout the world in support of a policy of peace and international collaboration.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Reagan Library, Rudolf Perina Files, Subject File, Romania—MFN (1). No classification marking. Printed from a translation prepared in the Division of Language Services, Department of State.↩
- See Document 171.↩
- The translation bears this typed signature.↩