#Romania2019.eu/Mogherini: Role Romania can play is very important in facilitating understanding between EU and Turkey

The role that Romania can play is very important in connecting Turkey and the European Union, in helping the two sides understand the mutual positions and developing their relation potential, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said in Bucharest on Friday.

Asked within a joint press conference with Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu if Romania could contribute to improving the understanding and communication with Turkey, Mogherini said that there are prospects in this respect. She pointed out that she is grateful to the Romanian presidency for this, although there have been countries in the region, such as Bulgaria, in the period when it held the rotating presidency at the EU Council, which ensured a special perspective on the relation with Turkey.

They provide a special perspective in our understanding, contacts and relations with a country like Turkey, which is at the same time a EU candidate country and a partner in a region that is a priority to us. I believe that the role that Romania can play is very important both in connecting us, in truly understanding each one's positions, that is not only us understanding Turkey better, but also Turkey understanding EU's stands better, and building more on the potential of our relation in the coming months, said Mogherini.

She reiterated that she paid a visit to Turkey some months ago with European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn.

We have had for the first time after a certain time a high-level political dialogue session hosted by Foreign Minister Cavusoglu and we had good talks regarding foreign policy matters in which Turkey and the EU have a common interest of reaching a positive solution. We don't agree on everything, but there are many matters in which our interests converge and I believe intensifying cooperation in particular in the strategic areas of foreign and security policy is a common interest, Mogherini also said. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florin Stefan, editor: Sorin Popescu; EN - author: Adina Panaitescu, editor: Rodica State)