Informal meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers; Aurescu underscores importance of strengthening Transatlantic relation

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu on Monday participated in the informal meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs from the European Union member states, carried out in videoconference system, with the participation of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The meeting occasioned a "deep" dialogue on Transatlantic cooperation, with an emphasis on the modalities by which we can exploit the entire potential of it in relation to such topical issues as the management of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the relation with China, the Peace Process in the Middle East and Eastern Vicinity, reads a press release of the MAE (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) sent to AGERPRES. Aurescu hailed the participation of the US Secretary of State in the meeting, reminding that, on Sunday, Romania and the US celebrated together, as "strong" strategic partners, 140 years of diplomatic relations. He underscored how important is to strengthen the Transatlantic relation, which is one of "vital" importance," and sent a message of unity and pragmatism, from the perspective of the promotion of the common interests and conjugation of the EU and US efforts, said the MAE. The Romanian official also highlighted that Romania "firmly" supports the Transatlantic partnership, with the EU and the US being part of the same community of values and security. With respect to the situation of the Eastern Partnership states, Minister Bogdan Aurescu pleaded for the importance of maintained a strengthened presence of the US, alongside the EU, in such areas marked by prolonged conflicts, including in terms of the Transdnistrian file. During the talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding the Peace Process in the Middle East, Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the need for a "very close" coordination between the EU and the US. The head of the Romanian diplomacy mentioned that the recent Peace Plan proposed by the US represents an "important" contribution that could lead to a renewed dynamics of the process of obtaining stability and lasting peace in the Middle East. He recalled that Romania supports the goal of achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace agreement, based on the two-state solution, as the only viable option that meets the aspirations of both sides. Any unilateral actions must be discouraged because they can have "serious" consequences on regional and international security, and he underscored the importance of observing the relevant norms of the international law," Aurescu added. At the same time, the Minister referred to the "substantial" discussion he had with his Israeli counterpart Gabriel Ashkenazi, at the beginning of June, immediately after taking office. He also stressed the need for the international community to support any measures to increase trust between the parties, as the EU can play a relevant role in this regard as well and he specified that Romanian encourages any approach agreed by the two parties meant to unblock and encourage direction negotiations between them. Regarding China, Minister Bogdan Aurescu referred to the relevance of the aspects related to connectivity, including the increased attention paid by Romania to the critical infrastructure security. In this context, he highlighted the potential of the Three Seas Initiative, as a concrete example of the Transatlantic partnership and the constant commitment of the US, the MAE also states. "In his remarks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo positively highlighted Romania's positions on the 5G network and the field of civil nuclear cooperation and mentioned US support for combating the COVID-19 pandemic to some EU member states, including Romania," shows the same press release. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia)