Acting President Ilie Bolojan declared on Wednesday that one of the conclusions of the Paris meeting on the situation in Ukraine and the security challenges in Europe was that the best formula for resolving the crisis is collaboration between European countries and the United States of America, so that there is a ceasefire and a fair peace, which cannot be achieved without the participation of Ukraine and the European Union in the negotiations.

„There were interventions by each state, there were different positions, but some of them were repeated and, practically, these are conclusions of this meeting. First of all, an important conclusion is that the security of Ukraine is also the security of Europe and Romania and we, those who are in the vicinity of Ukraine and in Eastern Europe, know what it is about. Monday it is three years since Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We are not with Ukraine only out of a humanitarian feeling, primarily for this reason and injustice, but we are also out of a strategic interest for our country. In these years, as I told you, our shield has been NATO. And the second important conclusion was that, in the future, collaboration between European countries and the United States of America may be the best formula for resolving this crisis, so that we not only have a ceasefire, which is very good, but that we have a fair peace, so that in the coming years a new conflict does not start again, and this fair and equitable peace cannot be achieved without the participation of Ukraine and the European Union in the closing of these negotiations,” said Ilie Bolojan.

He specified that at this meeting it was agreed that there is a need, in the immediate future, for unity and coordination between European countries, which have established the preparation of a support package for Ukraine.

„Diversity in normal times in the European Union is a good thing, it was a gain, but in a crisis situation, such as the coronavirus or what we have now, there is an obvious need for coordination, so that we can act more quickly, so that we can have an action plan that takes into account the continued support of Ukraine, in which sense it was agreed to prepare a significant support package in the immediate future, so that it can be adopted at the first European Council,” said the interim president.

According to him, the support package will be both financial and military, which does not mean military presence on the ground, but ammunition, weapons, combat equipment.

The interim president also said that the availability of troops is also being discussed, in the event that they are sent to keep peace.

„During this period, taking into account the different scenarios that can be reached, this subject is also being discussed, and Romania will have a point of view in the following period, depending on the evolution of the situation”, Ilie Bolojan pointed out.

He also informed that periodical information meetings to correlate positions had been agreed upon.

„Because, without coordination, the capacity for action is reduced. And I believe that an effective decision related to a plan will be taken at the next [European] Council, which will be organized in the following period”, he opined.

Ilie Bolojan mentioned that it was decided overnight that the meeting would also have an online format.

„Considering that I had a scheduled bilateral meeting, I came personally and I believe that this bilateral meeting was an important matter for our country,” emphasized the acting president, for whom the trip to Paris was the first in an official capacity since taking office.

Interim President Ilie Bolojan and Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden were present in person at the meeting on the situation in Ukraine and security challenges in Europe in Paris.

The event was attended by videoconference by: President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart de Wever, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rossen Jeliazkov, Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of Estonia, Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Ireland, Micheal Martin, Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrun Frostadottir, Prime Minister of Latvia, Evika Silina, Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Slovenia, Robert Golob and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala.

Before the meeting, Acting President Ilie Bolojan had a bilateral meeting with President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

AGERPRES