The priorities of the Romanian foreign office

Romania is stable and stands by its international commitments despite the crisis - this is the message conveyed at the annual meeting of Romanian diplomats.

Ştefan Stoica, 08.09.2021, 14:00

Romania
will respect all its international and bilateral commitments, regardless of the
domestic political crisis, as well as the values, legislation and Constitution.
These assurances came from president Klaus Iohannis, who attended on Tuesday
the annual meeting of the Romanian foreign service. He made this statement amid
a conflict between the Liberal prime minister Florin Cîţu and the second
largest partner in the ruling coalition in Bucharest, USR PLUS.

The
president said his country is stable and will not stray from its European and
trans-Atlantic path. The pillars of Romania’s foreign policy remain the same:
consolidating its role within the European Union and NATO and its Strategic
Partnership with the United States. Resilience, meaning resistance to risks and
vulnerabilities, depends on dedication to the Euro-Atlantic values and close
inter-institutional collaboration domestically, accompanied by cooperation
between the authorities and society, the president also emphasised. He warned
that Romania, as a member of the European Union and NATO, must reduce its
dependence on international players that do not share its interests and values.
In respect of the country’s relationship with China, Iohannis said Romania is
looking for solutions that are compatible with its national interests in the
areas of security and economy, while with respect to Russia, he said a normal
relationship is only possible if the latter resumes respect for international
law.

The
fact that the state institutions, the diplomatic service and the ministry of
foreign affairs in general fulfilled their duties efficiently even in times of
domestic crisis shows that we are on the right path, said foreign minister
Bogdan Aurescu. Prime minister Florin Cîţu dwelled on the idea of economic
diplomacy. He called for consolidating Romania’s network of economic attaches
and the creation of a so-called diplomatic service of technologies, which would
allow Romania to identify potential partners, as well as competitors.

Nicu
Popescu, the foreign minister of the Republic of Moldova, was a special guest
of the meeting of Romanian diplomats. Moldova and the eastern neighbourhood are
still facing all kinds of external pressures, said minster Aurescu. The
Moldovan official insisted on the need for solidarity within a community of
values. He explained that his country has struggled in recent years with growing
corruption and a weakening of the state and its institutions, leading to lower
resilience, including in the face of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The
mandate of the current government is to reduce the level of corruption and
consolidate institutions, to prepare for possible new crises, Nicu Popescu also
said. The Romanian and Moldovan foreign ministers also announced the signing of
a new extended agreement on non-reimbursable assistance during the next joint
meeting of the two governments. According to minister Aurescu, the sum may be
in excess of 100 million euros. (CM)