Aurescu, at meeting with Slovenian counterpart: We must show the citizens the prospect of a strong EU

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, who was on an official visit to Ljubljana on Friday, had consultations with his Slovenian counterpart, Anze Logar, on which occasion he highlighted the need for solidarity and unity within the European Union. The two ministers' discussions focused on bilateral coordination in the context of Slovenia's takeover of the rotating Presidency of the EU Council on July 1, as an opportunity for an in-depth exchange of views on the priorities of the European agenda, with a focus on the files for which there is a high degree of convergence, shows a Foreign Ministry (MAE) release sent to AGERPRES. At the end of the consultations, Minister Aurescu appreciated that, against the background of the COVID-19 health crisis, "the importance of the unity and solidarity of the states in order to be able to overcome this kind of challenges" was highlighted. "This message of unity and solidarity is important, especially in the perspective of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which we discussed in detail during our talks. We must show the citizens the prospect of a strong Union, acting fully in the interests of its citizens, in order to ensure their prosperity and security," said the head of the Romanian diplomacy. He emphasized the need for "a long-term vision for crisis management and a Europe as resilient as possible". "We welcomed the initiative to hold a summit on resilience during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In fact, Romania will soon host a Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience, which shows the convergence of our concerns in this very important area," added Aurescu. The Minister of Foreign Affairs recalled Romania's objectives related to the accession to the Schengen area and, respectively, to the accession to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and thanked Slovenia for the constant support shown in this regard. "EU enlargement is an area in which Romania and Slovenia share a common vision, especially in the Western Balkans, for whom enlargement is the only solid option for peace, stability, long-term wellbeing in the region and on the continent. You can count on the support of Romania for the advancement of this file during the term of the Slovenian Presidency, including in terms of the preparation of the Summit on the Western Balkans," Bogdan Aurescu said. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi; editor: Adina Panaitescu)