Radio România Internațional

Tag: Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu

Romanian authorities and the crisis in Ukraine

The crisis generated by the threat of a Russian invasion in Ukraine is a test for the unity and solidarity of European states, which has so far been successfully passed. On the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU leaders, Romanias president, Klaus Iohannis said that EU states should remain united and this unity should be expressed both by diplomatic efforts and in economic terms. The risks facing European security are critical, and there needs to be an efficient coordination and unity in times of crises, that should boost the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic space, president Iohannis argues. The Romanian official also highlighted the need to continue dialogue and come up with a diplomatic solution to the crisis. The EU has a well-prepared series of responses in case the situation escalates, and EU states will act together. Romania is ready for the worst-case scenario, president Klaus Iohannis said.

“We have over 600 km of borders with Ukraine and its possible we might see a flow of migrants. But yes, we are prepared for that. We are also ready in economic terms, we have prepared a series of specific measures. But let me make one thing clear – we want a diplomatic solution. No one wants sanctions, and we want the situation on the eastern flank to be de-escalated by means of appeasing tensions”.

Romania also reiterated its firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for this countrys right to freely decide its European and Euro-Atlantic path, president Iohannis tweeted. On the other hand, in an interview for CNN, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu disavowed Russias demands that NATO should withdraw its equipment and troops from its eastern flank and hailed the allies firm response in this matter. “We cant afford to have two types of allies, first-rate and second-rate, allies on the eastern flank, without any sort of troops and real equipment and the others. This is unacceptable, and NATO has dismissed this scenario, expressing its unity and solidarity right now”, Bogdan Aurescu argued. The Romanian Foreign Minister also expressed hope that NATOs tactical battlegroups to be set up in Romania will be comparable in structure and size to other battlegroups that are operational in Poland and the Baltic states. Referring to Frances plans to reorganize the European security framework, Bogdan Aurescu says this should be an effort complementary to NATOs actions. No one can replace the Alliance in terms of ensuring the collective defense and security of Europe and NATO as a whole, Aurescu also pointed out. (VP)

18 February 2022
August 18, 2021

G7. US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
have agreed, over the phone, to attend a virtual G7 summit on Afghanistan next
week, the White House and Downing Street have announced. Boris Johnson, whose
country is currently holding the presidency of the group, has called for the summit,
while the international community has had different reactions to the current
situation. It was President Joe Biden’s first conversation with a head of state
or government since the Taliban seized the capital, Kabul, after 20 years of
US-led international coalition military intervention, in which the United
Kingdom played an important role. In Brussels, the EU security chief Josep
Borrell admitted that the West had made mistakes in Afghanistan, in particular
because it did not anticipate the Taliban’s rapid takeover. He explained that
the priority for the Union was to evacuate European citizens, but also Afghans
who worked for the EU.

Afghanistan. The Romanian Prime Minister, Florin Cîţu, has stated that the
evacuation of Romanian citizens in Kabul is underway and it will be done with a
Romanian army aircraft. Previously, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Bogdan Aurescu told Radio Romania that efforts were being made to recover
several Romanians trapped in a former American military base surrounded by the
Taliban. Bogdan Aurescu also spoke about the possibility of receiving, in
Romania, after an analysis of each case, Afghan refugees from among those who
have worked with Romanian troops, NATO, the EU or other international
organizations in Afghanistan. On Tuesday, at the extraordinary videoconference of
the EU foreign ministers, the Romanian Foreign Minister stressed the need to
protect the lives of citizens, as well as the need to immediately restore
security and civil order in that country. President Klaus Iohannis convened a
meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense for next Wednesday to
discuss the security situation in Afghanistan and its implications for Romania.

Covid-19. 541 new cases of Covid-19 were
reported in Romania on Wednesday, out of some 35 thousand tests performed.
Also, 6 related deaths were reported in 24 hours. The number of people that
need hospitalization is also on the rise. There are now 1000 Covid-19 patients
in hospitals, of whom 126 in intensive care units. Against this background,
hospitals have started to prepare for the fourth wave, which some specialists
say will hit in September.

Government. The political bureau of the National Liberal Party, the
main partner in the ruling coalition in Romania, has today proposed deputy Dan
Vilceanu for the office of finance minister. Last month, PM Florin Citu sacked
the previous holder of the office, Alexandru Nazare, and is currently acting as
interim finance minister. According to the premier, the Liberals’ proposal will
be submitted to the president of the country.

Belarus. The European Union’s interior ministers are attending an extraordinary video conference today on the situation of Belarusian migrants arriving in EU member states such as Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. Faced with a wave of migrants, part of what it considers to be a hybrid war waged by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Lithuania has announced that migrants trying to enter the country will be rejected, after more than 4,000 have crossed the border since the beginning of the year, , compared to 100 in the whole of 2020. Latvia has made similar accusations against Belarus.

Athletes. The nine Romanian athletes who won medals at the recent Olympic
Games in Tokyo are awarded today, in
Bucharest, by the country’s president, Klaus Iohannis. They are Nicoleta Ancuţa
Bodnar and Simona Geanina Radiş, who won gold in the women’s double scull,
Ana-Maria Popescu, winner of silver in women’s epee fencing, Marius Vasile
Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă, with silver in men’s coxless pair, and the team
made up of Mihăiţă Vasile Ţigănescu,
Mugurel Vasile Semciuc, Ştefan Constantin Berariu and Cosmin Pascari, who won
the silver medal in the men’s coxless four. We recall that Romania ranked 46th
in the Olympic Games classification by medals.

Tennis. Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (13 WTA) got her first
victory after a break of three and a half months, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, against the
Polish Magda Linette, on Tuesday, in the first round of the WTA 1,000
tournament in Cincinnati (USA), with total prizes of over 2 million dollars. In
the second round, Simona Halep will take on Jessica Pegula. Also on Tuesday,
the Romanian-German pair Horia Tecău / Kevin Krawietz qualified for the round
of 16 of the doubles event of the ATP Masters 1,000 tournament in Cincinnati.
The two defeated 7-5, 6-3 the Argentinean pair Federico Delbonis / Diego
Schwartzman. In the eighth round, the Romanian-German couple will face the pair
Marcelo Arevalo (El Salvador) and Fabio Fognini (Italy). Tecău won a title in
Cincinnati, in 2012, together with the Swede Robert Lindstedt. (MI)

18 August 2021
Romania pleads for strengthening NATO’s Eastern Flank

Romania wishes for an enhanced NATO role at political and military level, the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said at the NATO’s foreign ministers meeting in Brussels. It was the first physical meeting after the one in November 2019, and also the first occasion to meet the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The meeting focused on the NATO 2030 reflection process, and the Romanian official said he supported the proposals set forth by the NATO Secretary General in that respect.

Jens Stoltenberg stated that the global challenges that the members states face include Russia’s destabilizing activities, the threat of terrorism, cyber-attacks and nuclear proliferation and the rise of China. NATO has increased its presence in the Black Sea region with three littoral states: Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria are NATO members, and then two: Ukraine and Georgia are close NATO partners. We have increased our presence on land, at sea, in the air, but we have also stepped up the cooperation with close and highly valued partners – Georgia and Ukraine.

We will continue to do so, and we are looking into how we can further strengthen the partnership, both the political and the practical support, and we also welcome the fact that both Ukraine and Georgia are providing support and help to different NATO missions and operations Stoltenberg told a press conference.

Minister Bogdan Aurescu presented Romania’s analysis of persistent threats to security on the eastern border of the Alliance, including in the Black Sea area, also tackling the need for solutions to the lasting conflicts that have destabilized security in the region. The Romanian official reiterated support for the current NATO stand towards Russia, insisting upon the need for strengthening further NATO’s deterrence and defense posture on the entire Eastern Flank, from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea.

A dialogue with Moscow can take place only against the background of a very robust NATO posture, the Romanian minister believes. Also, Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the relevant impact of arms control on regional security and stability and defended the need for further and enhanced NATO coordination along this dimension.

Jens Stoltenberg’s proposal to allocate a special fund for defense and deterrence, designed to encourage allies to participate, for example, in battle groups on the eastern flank, and spending to be covered by the North Atlantic Alliance, not only by the state involved in the operation, was also discussed. The NATO 2030 initiative aims to make the alliance an organization with a greater capacity for global action, especially to cope with the rise of autocratic regimes, China and Russia in particular, and threats to the international order. (MI)

25 March 2021
March 21, 2021

Covid10-RO. Starting next week, the pace of anti-COVID vaccination in Romania will step up. Another 167 immunization centers will be opened across the country. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has announced today that in the next period, 80,000 people will be vaccinated daily. So far, more than 1.7 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine, most of them Pfizer-BioNTech, but also Moderna and AstraZeneca. Nearly 750,000 people have signed up on the waiting lists. Florin Cîţu has stated that Romania will not enter a lockdown, but urged the Romanians to respect the protection measures, in order to get over this period of pandemic. Authorities have reported more than 4,200 new cases of contamination and 76 deaths today. 1,334 patients are in intensive care, a new record since the beginning of the pandemic. In total, some 900 thousand cases and over 22 thousand deaths have been registered in Romania. The Bucharest Committee for Emergency Situations has decided to extend by 14 days the restrictions in force in the capital. Bucharest and eight other counties are in the red scenario, with an incidence of cases higher than three per thousand inhabitants. On Saturday, the cities of Iasi (northeast) and Oradea (west) entered the red zone too, and several towns and villages around the capital are in quarantine.

Protests. Despite the negative evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic, many protests were staged on Saturday across Europe against the restrictions imposed by authorities. In London, police gave fines and arrested several protesters. Protests were also reported in several German cities, including the capital Berlin. In Switzerland, in the town of Listal, more than 3,000 people demanded the lifting of restrictions and said authorities had taken the country hostage for more than a year. Similar accusations were made in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Protesters said the inadequate measures taken by the authorities had led to a severe economic and health crisis, destroying small and medium-sized enterprises, while thousands of people were left without jobs and any possibility of earning a living. Anti-restriction and anti-vaccination protests took place in Bucharest and in other cities across the Romania as well. Fines were given in the capital and the organizers were sanctioned for exceeding the maximum number of 100 participants allowed and for not ensuring the observance of sanitary protection rules. Some of the participants were also fined.

EU meeting. The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will attend on Monday, a meeting of the EU foreign ministers, in Brussels. According to a ministry communiqué, the agenda of talks includes the latest developments in the relation between the EU and Russia, the situation in Georgia, the EU approach to the Western Balkans, the situation in Venezuela, Myanmar and Ethiopia. The EU – Turkey relations and aspects concerning the southern neighborhood will also be addressed, in preparation for the European Council summit on March 25-26.

SeaShield21. Sea Shield 21, the largest and most complex NATO multinational exercise organized by the Romanian Naval Forces in 2021, in the Black Sea area, continues until March 29. More than 2,400 soldiers from eight states, 18 warships and 10 aircraft are participating. The simulations are coordinated by the Romanian Naval Forces. According to the spokesman of the Romanian Naval Forces, Cornel Pavel, Sea Shield 21 is based on the scenarios of a maritime operation in response to a crisis in the region. This exercise is attended by soldiers from Bulgaria, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, the United States and Turkey. The first edition of the Multinational Exercise Sea Shield took place in 2015, and in the following years its scenarios were adapted to respond, quickly and efficiently, to the full spectrum of threats to maritime security and regional stability.

PoetryDay. On March 21, poetry is celebrated all over the world. World Poetry Day celebrates one of the most beautiful forms of human expression and national cultural and linguistic identity. Present throughout history in all cultures and on every continent, poetry speaks about our common humanity, about common values, transforming the simplest poem into a powerful accelerator for dialogue and peace, a UNESCO communiqué reads. World Poetry Day has been celebrated every year since 1999, when UNESCO established this event.

Tennis. The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Raluca Olaru / Nadia Kicenok are playing today against the American Kaitlyn Christian / Sabrina Santamaria the final of the doubles event of the WTA tennis tournament in St. Petersburg (Russia), with more than 565,000 dollars in prize money. In the semifinals Raluca Olaru / Nadia Kicenok defeated the Romanian-Dutch pair Monica Niculescu / Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, and Kaitlyn Christian / Sabrina Santamaria eliminated the pair Oksana Kalashnikova (Georgia) / Ala Kudriavteva (Russia). Romanian Raluca Olaru has 9 WTA doubles titles and has played 11 finals. Her last title dates back to 2018 (Rabat, Morocco), but last year she played finals in Prague (along with Monica Niculescu) and Rome. Her colleague Nadia Kicenok has won 5 doubles titles and has played another 6 finals.

Handball. The Romanian womens handball national team meets, today, the national team of the host country, in its second match of the pre-Olympic tournament in Podgorica, in Montenegro. Yesterday, in the first match, the Romanians were defeated 29-24 by Norway, the team that has two Olympic titles, three world and eight European titles and is the defending continental champion. On Friday, Montenegro defeated Norway 28-23. The top two contenders at the Podgorica tournament will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics due this summer. (MI)

21 March 2021
New lines of diplomatic action

Held every year in early September, the annual meeting of Romanian
diplomacy this year is being held with the strict observance of
pandemic-related regulations and is unfolding via videoconference. Opening the
event, President Klaus Iohannis recalled the main pillars of Romanian
diplomacy: boosting Romania’s role at EU and NATO levels and consolidating and
expanding the Strategic Partnership with the United States. Romanian diplomacy
must make efforts to further implement these points, the president said. In
turn, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu announced the Ministry is working on a
set of new lines of diplomatic action, adapted to the effects of COVID-19. The
task has been ongoing for the last three months and will result in strategies
adapted to the current international context. The ongoing coronacrisis is
amplifying the major process in international relations, which is why Romanian
diplomacy has to constantly adapt. The meeting is aimed at tackling the main
tendencies created or accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic at global and
European level and pave the way for the creation of a more effective early
prevention mechanism for crisis situations. Bogdan Aurescu:

Adapting doesn’t entail a fundamental change in the basis of our
foreign policies, namely increasing our profile and role at the level of the EU
and NATO and developing and expanding our Strategic Partnership with the United
States, as well as supporting multilateralism, international law and democratic
values

Also attending the event, Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
insisted on the essential requirements Romania must comply with in order to
remain predictable in its foreign dealings. Referring to the often haphazard
foreign policy initiatives of previous left-wing Governments, the Prime
Minister said:

The time of diplomatic ventures observing political party
interests is now past. The time of stirring tension and wars with paper
soldiers is also long gone. Romania now has a Government that is deeply
committed to upholding democracy and all international commitments, first and
foremost to our strategic allies, the United States of America, the European
Union, NATO and all our other partners.

Also worth mentioning is that the guest list this year includes
the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borell, and the NATO
Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoana, himself a foreign minister.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

8 September 2020
April 28, 2020

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Romanian
authorities have released a new military decree, the tenth since the state of
emergency was declared on March 16. The document eases mobility restrictions
for people aged 65 and above, who will be able to move around between 7-11 AM
and 7-10 PM. Previously the elderly were allowed to leave their homes only two
hours every day, between 11 AM and 1 PM. Interior Minister Marcel Vela said
inbound and outgoing flights for 13 countries continue to be banned until May
15. In another development, schools, nursery schools and universities in
Romania will remain closed until the end of the academic year. Classes will
continue to unfold online until June 12, when the school year will officially
close. Only 8th and 12th graders will go to schools in
early June to sit their final exams. Over 11.600 infections are reported in
Romania. Over 3.400 people have recovered and 650 have died. Over 1.900
Romanian citizens living abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, most of whom
in Italy, and 87 have died.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Over 3 million people worldwide have been infected with the
coronavirus and over 210,000 people have died to the virus. Of these, over a
quarter, 56,000, were reported in the United States, where 90,000 people are
infected. More and more states are starting to ease restrictions. Plans to this
end are underway in New York, by far the most affected city, where activities
might resume gradually starting May 15. President Donald Trump has backed this
planned relaxation, despite the authorities’ plea for increased testing as an
additional safety measure. In Europe, Italy, the country with the highest
number of deaths, will lift part of the restrictions starting May 4. Prime
Minister Giuseppe Conte warned this doesn’t mean things will return to normal.
Italy has reached the tenth week since the start of the epidemic and the 8th
since restrictions are in place. France too is making plans to allow citizens
to leave home isolation. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is today presenting a
national strategy in this respect in Parliament.

SME INVEST -
The website where people can submit loan applications for SMEs is functional as
of today. The application was originally launched on April 17, but traffic on
the website was blocked. SME Invest is the biggest government-sponsored loan
program addressing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Online applications can
be submitted until the end of the year or until the 3 billion euros fund is
depleted. 22 banks have enrolled in the SME Invest program, granting loans or
open-end loans for investments worth over 2 million euros, which the state will
subsidize up to a maximum of 80%.

EU – European Union Interior Ministers are today holding a
videoconference to discuss current developments and responses to the COVID-19
pandemic. The EU officials are discussing measures to improve cross-border
traffic in order to ensure the functionality of the single market and the free
movement of goods. The meeting will also tackle the relaxation or elimination
of customs checks in the future in a coordinated manner. Finally, Interior
Ministers will also look at ways to prevent the coronavirus from spreading,
especially by using tracking applications. The videoconference will also
include a briefing on the current situation and challenges in the field of
migration.

TRILATERAL MEETING – Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today attending a trilateral
videoconference Romania-Poland-Turkey, alongside his Polish and Turkish
counterparts, Jacek Czaputowicz and Mevlut Cavusoglu,
the Foreign Ministry reports. The three ministers will discuss NATO priorities
in the current global context, including allied efforts to manage the pandemic,
based on the latest conclusions of the NATO summit of Foreign Ministers on
April 2. During the videoconference the three officials will exchange views on
the developments in the eastern and southern vicinity and NATO’s role in the
region, with a focus on measures to consolidate NATO’s deterrence and defense
capabilities as well as the Alliance’s assistance to partner states. The
Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral consultation format was launched in 2012 upon
Romania’s proposal.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

28 April 2020
Foreign Policy Priorities

Unlike its agitated domestic politics, Romania’s foreign policy relies on a number of invariable directions. Set during the Christian-Democratic President Emil Constantinescu’s term in office, between 1996 and 2000, Romania’s firm option for the West has been kept in place by all his successors. The country became a NATO member in 2004, under the leftist, Social Democratic president Ion Iliescu, and a EU member in 2007, under the right-of-centre president Traian Basescu. After taking office one month ago, the Liberal Klaus Iohannis made his first official visit as President of Romania to Brussels, where he had meetings both with the presidents of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council, Donald Tusk, and with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Iohannis confirmed that the country’s foreign policy priorities during his term in office would remain unchanged:

“Romania has been an EU Member State for 8 years now. Our institutions have been substantially strengthened, and our contribution to the European project must be equally important. A priority of my term in office will be to further the European integration process. We will discuss the steps that Romania must take in view of deepening its involvement and in order to act with more determination as a NATO member.”

A career diplomat appointed as Foreign Minister in November, within a mostly Social Democratic cabinet cohabitating with a Liberal President, Bogdan Aurescu in turn confirmed the principle of continuity:

“Romania’s foreign policy has a number of constant elements, whose objectives have been defined by national consensus, and I don’t think we can talk about changing its guidelines. These are the EU membership, the NATO membership—and last year we marked 10 years since our country joined the Alliance—the Strategic Partnership with the USA, the Strategic Partnership for EU integration with the Republic of Moldova. All these are the constant elements of Romania’s foreign policy, and I am glad to see a consensus among all political parties as regards these elements.”

In an interview to Radio Romania shortly after the attacks in Paris, Foreign Minister Aurescu stressed Romania’s position within the international coalition fighting terrorism, a coalition that Bucharest joined immediately after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 in the US:

“The extraordinary solidarity shown by the European countries and other states, and by the Romanian society at large, has proven how important it is for us to do away with the scourge of international terror. We have firmly and promptly condemned this tragic event because in Romania’s view, nothing can justify a terrorist act, particularly when its target is the freedom of speech. In my opinion, one of the consequences of this situation is the need to strengthen international cooperation in fighting terrorism.”

Romania, however, refuses the idea that increased security could include reintroducing restrictions on freedom of movement for citizens on EU territory. Here is what Bogdan Aurescu had to say:

“Once again, freedom of movement is an earned right, it is a fundamental freedom, and we have to be mindful of this earned right. At the same time, Romania is ready to take part in this effort, even though it is not yet a Schengen country, because, in fact, Romania acts like a Schengen state.”

As an eastern outpost of EU and NATO, profoundly concerned with the fate of the Republic of Moldova, Bucharest has been growing more and more alarmed with Russian aggression in Ukraine. Here is the Romanian Foreign Minister talking about this:

“Last year was marked by an important international event, at least as far as Romania is concerned, namely the crisis in Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of Crimea, in violation of the fundamental international law principles and standards, followed by a destabilization of the country’s east, which is still developing as we speak. Obviously, we reiterated the support we have shown for our neighbouring state’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Romania’s most important neighbour, both in terms of size and from a frontier point of view, and, very importantly, from the point of view of the Romanian community in Ukraine, which is around half a million.”

In addition to supporting the pro-Western regime in Kiev, slapping economic sanctions on Moscow is one option the West could use to leverage the crisis, Bogdan Aurescu has said:

“As for the sanctions, Romania has been behind it from the very beginning, because we believe these sanctions are starting to work. There are two sets of sanctions, those for the occupation of Crimea and those related to the security situation in eastern Ukraine.”

23 January 2015
European Responses to Terrorism

Europeans have decided to involve Turkey, a country with a predominantly Muslim population, and the Arab countries in their fight against terrorism. The decision was made following the recent attacks in Paris, the actions taken by several EU countries against Islamist factions on their territories, and also the revolt in the Muslim world triggered by new caricatures of prophet Mohamed published in France.

Against that background, at Monday’s meeting in Brussels of the EU foreign ministers, EU officials announced the preparation of cooperation projects with Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen and the Gulf countries. Security attachés will be deployed in all EU delegations in those countries and communication will be improved with the Arab populations in Europe and the Arab community as a whole. We should not forget that the first victims of terrorism are the very Muslims in the Arab countries. Therefore, dialogue and cooperation are needed in order to cast away the perception that this is a clash of civilizations, the EU officials also stressed. That is why, the fight against terrorism should not just be military in nature, it should be carried out at intellectual, cultural, religious and communication level.

According to Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, terrorism at European level should be fought against also by solving the integration issues facing the Muslim communities. Bogdan Aurescu:

“ We need alternative programs and initiatives focusing on these very issues that relate to the economic, social and cultural integration of those communities that are vulnerable to radicalization, and are therefore easer to recruit as members of terrorist groups”.

Also following the attacks in Paris, the EU officials decided to focus on several priority measures, such as a better coordination with regard to the exchange of information and secret services, both inside and outside the EU. Other measures envisage a tighter control upon entering the Schengen area, fighting arms trafficking and talks on the creation of a common air passenger registry, to identify the potential jihadist terrorists who come back to Europe to perpetrate attacks. The European Parliament has been blocking that draft law since 2011, asking for guarantees that personal data will be protected. All the measures that are to be taken in the coming period, however, the Romanian Foreign Ministry warns, must be implemented in full observance of the fundamental rights and freedoms, and by taking into consideration the benefits of the European integration process, especially the freedom of movement within the EU.

20 January 2015
Directions of Romania’s Foreign Policy

The massacre at the office of the French magazine “Charlie Hebdo”, the hostage taking and the executions in a Jewish shop in Paris have shocked the whole world. A week after these tragic events, which have been compared with the September 11 terrorist attacks, political decision makers are looking for solutions to prevent such terrible things from happening again. Several countries have already taken exceptional measures in this respect. Romania has not changed its security policy but has joined efforts to fight this scourge.

Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu: “We have firmly and promptly condemned this tragic event because as far as Romania is concerned, nothing can justify a terrorist act, particularly when its target is the freedom of speech. In my opinion, one of the consequences of this situation is the need to strengthen international cooperation in fighting terrorism.”

The EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on January 19th, to find ways to combat terror under all its forms. The measures to be taken might include more thorough checks in the Schengen area that Romania intends to join. However, according to Minister Aurescu, these measures should not affect the freedom of movement within the EU.

Bogdan Aurescu: “Romania is ready to join these efforts, even if it is not a member of the Schengen area yet. In fact, Romania is already acting as a full member.”

Bogdan Aurescu has also said that border security is equally important for Romania, in the context of the war in Ukraine. Against this background, Romania’s foreign policy focuses on promoting solid diplomatic relations, political and military partnerships aimed at ensuring its long-time security.

Asked to summarize Romania’s foreign policy, the Foreign Minister told Radio Romania, “Romania’s foreign policy has goals agreed on through national consensus, so I don’t think we can talk about changing its main directions, such as its EU and NATO membership, the Strategic Partnership with the US and the Strategic Partnership for European Integration with the Republic of Moldova. All these are constant elements of Romania’s foreign policy.”

Talking about the Strategic Partnership with the US, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has stated that the anti-missile shield in Deveselu, southern Romania, will become operational this year, and the next stage is its integration in the NATO missile defense system.

14 January 2015