MAE: Romania, Sweden hold consultations on political developments in Eastern Partnership states

Secretary of state for strategic affairs Dan Neculaescu on Thursday had bilateral consultations in videoconference system with Robert Rydberg, secretary of state with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, on which occasion the two sides exchanged opinions and assessments with respect to the status of the states of the Eastern Partnership, with an emphasis on the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Neculaescu and Rydberg highlighted the strategic importance of the Eastern Partnership and the need for the European Union's commitment in this respect "to be solid and based on concrete results," depending on the advancement of the reform agenda in the partner states, while fully observing the democratic principles and the rule of law. Secretary of state Dan Neculaescu showed that Romania will continue to watch with priority over the continuation of the European path of the partner states. Also, the Romanian official underscored the consistent help granted by the partner states of the EU in combating COVID-19 pandemic, which represents "more proof of the active role of the EU in the region." The two dignitaries agreed on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the context in which Sweden is set to take over the presidency of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2021, which is a body that plays a role and has responsibilities in preventing and solving conflicts, as well as in managing crises and in post-conflict rebuilding, specified the MAE. AGERPRES (RO - author: Catalin Alexandru, editor: Karina Olteanu, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia)