German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will come to Romania on a state visit between May 24 – 26, at the invitation of President Klaus Iohannis, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bucharest informs, pointing out that Steinmeier’s scheduled trips to Bucharest, Sibiu and Timisoara honor the multiple bilateral relations, the good cooperation and close partnership between Germany and Romania within the EU and NATO, as well as the countries’ joint support for Ukraine, write Agerpres.

The federal president will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Europe and Climate at the German Federal Foreign Office Anna Luhrmann, as well as by a delegation of lawmakers, representatives of the business environment and culture representatives.

On May 24, the German head of state will be received in Bucharest with military honors by President Klaus Iohannis. After a round of talks, the two statesmen will hold a joint press conference. Next, the German president has scheduled political talks with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and then, at the Palace of Parliament, with Senate acting President Alina Gorghiu and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu. A meeting with representatives of the business community is also on his agenda.

On the second day of the visit, the President Steinmeier will be in Sibiu together with his counterpart Klaus Iohannis, for talks at the City Hall, as well as with representatives of the Germans’ Democratic Forum in Romania. Also, the two will visit the ‘Samuel von Brukenthal’ National College in Sibiu and the fortified church in Cristian. Later, President Steinmeier will travel to Timisoara, where he will host a concert at the Timisoara Philharmonic, as part of the city’s 2023 European Capital of Culture program.

On the last day of his Romanian stay, the federal president will visit downtown Timisoara together with mayor Dominic Fritz.

„A city tour will help the German president gain insight into the historical, economic and cultural importance of Timisoara, and also learn more about the coexistence of various local ethnic groups and religious communities,” the cited source said.

He will also visit the ‘Nikolaus Lenau’ Theoretical High School and meet with representatives of the German and Jewish minorities.

„The state visit of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier marks a culminating moment in our close partnership. It underlines our deep and long-standing friendship with Romania, as well as our special interest in taking this friendship even further. The breadth of our bilateral relations is reflected in the close political exchanges, in the intense economic relations with Germany, which is Romania’s most important trading partner, as well as in the cultural exchanges and those with the civil society. In this regard, the German minority in Romania and the Romanian communities in Germany play an important bridging role. Especially in the difficult times of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, it is important that we, in Europe remain united and stand by Ukraine. We are particularly grateful to have such an excellent and reliable partner as Romania. The state visit of the federal president is also an expression of this gratitude,” German ambassador to Romania Peer Gebauer notes.