November 29, 2022

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Newsroom, 29.11.2022, 13:55

NATO The foreign ministers of NATO member countries, partner countries
and of the 2 candidate countries are in Bucharest for a 2-day meeting. It is
the first meeting of this kind hosted by Romania since it joined the Alliance and the
first event held in a NATO eastern flank country since the start of the war in
Ukraine, Romania’s foreign ministry highlighted. The meeting comprises 3
working sessions, 2 of which will be attended by the Allies together with
Sweden and Finland. Taking part in the third session will also be the foreign
ministers of Bosnia – Herzegovina, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. The
first day of the meeting will conclude with a working dinner attended by the
foreign minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, and the EU foreign policy chief,
Josep Borrell. The agenda of the meeting in Bucharest includes the
implementation of the decisions taken at the NATO summit in Madrid. The war in
Ukraine and the provision of long-term political and practical support from the
Allies will be the main topic of discussion. Other topics include energy security,
China, the strategic importance of the Black Sea region. NATO’s secretary
general Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Bucharest on Monday, and had meetings with
president Klaus Iohannis, PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign minister Bogdan
Aurescu.

MEETING Bucharest is the capital of European and Euro-Atlantic diplomacy
and even beyond these regions, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu
said. Apart from the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Romania is hosting
these days, for the first time ever, a Munich Leaders Meeting. 75 top-level
governmental officials and foreign policy and security experts are discussing
the consequences of the war in Ukraine as well as other security issues in the
region. The 11th Aspen Forum also begins in Bucharest today, with
participants including the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. The 2022 edition
of the Forum takes place in the context of the war in Ukraine, which has
affected the entire world both in economic and security terms, and which is not
expected to come to an end soon, therefore it will only deepen multiple crisis,
the Aspen Institute says in a news release posted ahead of the meeting. Also in
Bucharest, a new energy coordination task force is scheduled to convene. The
group comprises officials of G7 and other Allied countries, and is working to
mobilise or plan the supply of equipment to Ukraine as soon as possible.

PARTNERSHIP Ahead of the US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s visit to
Bucharest to take part in the NATO Council, the US Department of State hailed
the celebration of 25 years since the Strategic Partnership with Romania was
signed. A US Department of State news release mentions Bucharest’s contribution
to NATO and multinational operations, the fact that the country hosts several
NATO and American military structures, including the missile defence system in Deveselu.
I am very happy and proud to say that our strategic partnership has reached the
highest level in its quarter-century history, the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă
said in his turn, after the meeting with the US official in Bucharest. Twenty-five
years is a very important benchmark, which makes us aware that in 1997 a
generation was born which grew up and reached maturity concurrently with the
strategic partnership. I am confident that this generation will do everything
in their power to safeguard the freedom and rights we have secured and
democratic values, Mr. Ciuca also said. We have an unshakeable alliance, built
on shared values, and strong relations in the economic sector, including the
energy sector, Antony Blinken said, and also mentioned the academic and
cultural exchanges between the 2 countries.

NATIONAL DAY The Romanian Cultural Institute organises 50 events until December
10, to celebrate the National Day of Romania in 31 cities abroad. According to
the president of the Institute, Liviu Jicman, the events held in emblematic
locations in the respective countries place the works of Romanian artists among
the most important cultural landmarks of today and contribute to raising
awareness among foreign cultural and arts communities and the general public
with respect to the Romanian culture. On December 1, the National Day of Romania, a parade will be
organised in Bucharest and another one in Alba Iulia. On Monday the Parliament
celebrated 104 years since the Great Union in a special meeting. (AMP)