"Moscow hopes that Romania's membership in NATO and the process of joining the European Union do not damage the high level of Russo-Romanian political relations, or the perspectives of development of economic and commercial ties," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko.

He did not directly mention US plans to shift the deployment of its military forces, which could see some its bases moved from Western Europe to Romania.

Russia, which opposed the enlargement of NATO to include eastern European countries, has been extremely concerned about the redeployment of forces closer to its borders.

"We confirm (our) readiness to develop a dialog with ... a state that conducts a balanced foreign policy and seeks to follow closely and take into account Russia's interests, especially in the area of security policy," said Yakovenko.

Basescu, who is making his first trip to Russia since being elected last December, was scheduled to meet with President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials during his two-day visit beginning Monday.

Trade is also likely to be high on the agenda, with Basescu accompanied a delegation of senior Romanian bussinesmen.

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