Minister Bogdan Aurescu participated, on Monday, in the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the EU member states, which took place in Brussels, in a context in which the heads of EU diplomacy had a consistent dialogue with Minister Nicu Popescu regarding the situation in the Republic of Moldova, according to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to Agerpres.
This topic was included on the agenda as a result of the proposal of Minister Bogdan Aurescu.
According to the cited source, the ministers also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, developments in Iran, with an emphasis on the human rights situation and Iran’s cooperation with Russia in the military field, as well as climate and energy diplomacy.
Regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Foreign Minister Aurescu reaffirmed our country’s commitment to support Ukraine and mentioned the multidimensional support that our country has given Ukraine in the last year – the transit, for export, of approximately 13 million tons of grain Ukrainians, economic facilities, the opening of new border points to increase connectivity, support for refugees, humanitarian, bilateral assistance to support Ukraine’s European path, support for increasing resilience and on other levels.
At the same time, Minister Aurescu warned against „the intensification of pro-Russian propaganda, especially in the context of marking the year since the start of the war, the aim being to supply narratives useful to Russia and to decrease the support and solidarity of societies from different European states with Ukraine and Ukrainian citizens, being necessary increased attention and vigilance in this sense”.
Regarding future support actions from the EU, the Romanian foreign minister mentioned the support for the rapid adoption of the tenth package of restrictive measures against Russia, the continuation of financial assistance through the European Peace Facility, the support of the military assistance mission of the EU for Ukraine, namely the intensification of the steps to find legal ways to bring to justice those guilty of the atrocities committed in Ukraine, including the crime of aggression.
On the level of European integration, Minister Aurescu supported „the need for the irreversible anchoring of the Republic of Moldova to the EU, with an emphasis on the necessary measures in the next period, including the creation of an action plan for integration on the internal market, trade liberalization, resolving aspects regarding access to services of roaming, interconnection with the EU in the field of electricity, through Romania”.
He also emphasized the importance of diversifying the energy mix and energy connectivity in the Eastern Neighborhood and the Western Balkans, „with the aim of increasing their resilience. At the same time, he emphasized the need to combat Russia’s use of energy as a geopolitical weapon”.
At the same time, the European Foreign Ministers addressed the situation in Iran and reconfirmed the firm position of the EU considering the violent pressures on the peaceful protests following the assassination of Mahsa Amini, which led to the adoption of restrictive measures against Iran in the field of human rights.
Minister Aurescu welcomed the adoption of the fifth package of sanctions on Iran, which Romania co-sponsored, and expressed support for a firm approach by the EU, as long as Tehran does not provide clear signals regarding a change in behavior. In this context, the Romanian official „condemned the unjustified detentions of some EU citizens by the Iranian authorities”, the MAE informs.
In this context, the Romanian official condemned the „unjustified detentions” of some EU citizens by the Iranian authorities and „expressed deep concern for the continuation of Iran’s military cooperation with Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine”.
Agerpres
