The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joao Gomes Cravinho, thanked Romania on Wednesday for the support that our country offered to Ukraine, according to Agerpres.

I had the opportunity to thank you as a NATO ally and as a partner of Romania in the European Union for the support offered to Ukraine, humanitarian support and more. You took care of so many Ukrainian refugees. I also thanked for the support offered by Romania so that the Ukrainians can face these situations. We know the situation and Portugal will continue to collaborate with Romania, for example in the military field, so that our common effort within NATO is further consolidated, and the presence of the Portuguese army, the cooperation between our air forces, represent bases for the continuation of our common activity, declared the head of Portuguese diplomacy, according to the official translation, at the end of the meeting with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu.

Joao Gomes Cravinho added that „the situation and troubled times in which we live are the consequence of the Russian aggression, but at the same time they represent an opportunity for the countries that are at opposite ends of Europe (…) to exploit the perspectives that have arisen and to develop the convergence of points of view”.

Furthermore, the Portuguese official mentioned the presence of a community of approximately 30,000 Romanians in his country.

There are many Romanians in Portugal, who contribute particularly to our economic and social progress, and the Romanians are very well integrated, they are well seen in our country and represent a bridge between the two peoples, he appreciated.

The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, specified that, in the discussions with his counterpart, the issue of our country’s accession to the Schengen Area was also addressed.

„I thanked the minister for the strong support provided so far by Portugal and which will continue for Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area,” said Aurescu.

The Portuguese Foreign Minister is invited to the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy (RADR), which runs until Thursday. He will participate, within RADR, in the discussion „The impact of the war in Ukraine on security on the Eastern Flank of NATO. Implications for the Black Sea region and beyond”, together with the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau.

Agerpres