ForMin Melescanu: Romania's future, Mediterranean region stability, development

Romania's Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu says the future of Romania is greatly linked to stability and development in the Mediterranean region, and the current relations between Romania and the countries in this region are all the more stronger for being "cemented by the bonds that exist at the human level."

"Romania and the Mediterranean countries, because of geographic proximity and historical developments, used to be, at different times, parts of the same political and administrative structure as the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, or the Ottoman Empire (...) We are therefore aware of the destiny that connects Romania with the Mediterranean countries, including the Middle East and North Africa, and the fact that Romania sees the region as a vector of major opportunities far outweighing the types of risks associated with the region. The future of Romania is greatly linked to stability and development in the region. Our worlds are interpenetrating and influencing one another perhaps more than ever before. The current relations between Romania and the countries of this region are all the more powerful as they are cemented by the bounds that exist at the human level," Melescanu said on Thursday in a speech to the 12th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) taking place in Bucharest.

He mentioned that the number of students from the Middle East and North Africa who are studying or have studied in Romania is the largest of all foreign students and that in many countries in the region the Romanian graduates' community is steadily growing, with many of them occupying leading positions in their fields of activity.

Melescanu also pointed out that the number of Romanians who work or have settled down in these areas is becoming more and more representative.

"We want Romania to play an active role in the stabilisation of the Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa, and it wants to be involved in solving the crises in the region, while at the same time advocating respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries facing major conflicts. Romania is with all the states that are directly confronted with the terrorist scourge and are making huge efforts to fully eradicate this phenomenon with terrible implications."

Melescanu recalled the terrorist attacks in Egypt and reiterated Romania's support for international efforts to combat terrorism.

"Our thoughts are with a good friend of Romania, Egypt, which, despite the great efforts of its security authorities, was hit at the end of 2017 by two extremely bloody bombings of Muslim and Christian victims alike, which again demonstrates that religion is not the foundation of terrorism, as terrorism has no religion. Unfortunately, a large number of countries in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa in the Middle East, even in the heartland of Europe have faced this terrorist phenomenon (...) Romania has actively supported the international efforts to combat terrorism," Melescanu said.

He mentioned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging the two sides to dialogue.

"We find it unfortunate that the political context has not yet been reached for the resumption of direct negotiations, which are largely blocked by the lack of trust between the two sides. Romania has constantly underlined the need for Israelis and Palestinians to sit at the negotiating table to settle their differences. As an honest partner and a traditional friend of both sides, Romania has consistently supported the two-state solution - an independent and democratic Palestinian state that coexists in peace and security alongside the state of Israel. Preserving the identity and viability of the two-state solution is also at the center of the European Union's foreign policy, and remains a priority of it (...)," said Melescanu.

He added that amidst Romania taking over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2019, special attention will be paid to the EU enlargement and, in particular, to the enlargement of the EU in the Western Balkans.

"From our point of view, Europe cannot be complete without the participation of the Western Balkan states. Romania, through geographic proximity and traditional friendship links that binds it to North Africa, has been supporting the democratic processes taking place in countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean as well as their economic transformations. " AGERPRES(RO - author: Livia Popescu, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)