President Klaus Iohannis stressed, in the discussions with his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the importance of the European Union’s united action in managing energy prices, respectively in strengthening the security of supply with energy resources, according to Agerpres.

The discussions between the two officials focused on defense cooperation, bilaterally, EU enlargement, the Schengen area and the Southern Neighborhood.

„I also addressed the current developments in the field of energy from the broader perspective of the measures taken at the European level. I emphasized the importance of the united action of the European Union in managing energy prices, respectively in strengthening the security of supply with energy resources,” said President Iohannis, after having visited the 1st Training Battalion Olt in Caracal together with his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

He showed that he agreed with the Portuguese president to boost cooperation in the field of defense, including from the perspective of the defense industry, and added that he also agreed with his Portuguese counterpart to boost cooperation on a bilateral level. He thanked the president of Portugal for the constant support of Romania’s objectives of joining the OECD and the Schengen area.

Iohannis reiterated Romania’s support for advancing the enlargement of the European Union, both regarding the Western Balkans and our eastern partners.

The President of Portugal emphasized the importance of the allied military presence in the current context and of maintaining unity and resilience in the European Union.

He said that there is a „large space” of possible cooperation with Romania in the fields of energy and digitalization.

„Energy represents a problem that can and must be dealt with at the same time both at a European level, by strengthening European unity and European autonomy in the field of energy, and also in terms of our bilateral cooperation. There is a large space for a possible cooperation in the field of energy, in the field renewable energy and in the digitalization field, I am referring here to the Romania-Portugal, Portugal-Romania relationship,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said. He appreciated the Romanian community in Portugal.

Portugal participates in the NATO multinational force in Romania to strengthen the allied defense on the Eastern Flank, having a contingent of land forces stationed in Caracal.

Agerpres