The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminita Odobescu, participated, on Wednesday, in the high-level segment of the 79th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), as a member of the delegation led by president Klaus Iohannis.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to AGERPRES on Thursday, in this context, Odobescu participated in the event hosted by the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, on the topic of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. On this occasion, Romania joined Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and other international partners in launching an initiative aimed at holding accountable those responsible for violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Afghanistan.

Minister Odobescu also participated in the second meeting of the Compact for Ukraine, hosted by US President Joe Biden, with the participation of President Volodimir Zelenski and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

On this occasion, the representatives of the participating states adopted a declaration reconfirming the support of the international community for Ukraine, primarily from the perspective of support for the process of economic recovery and reconstruction.

Also on Wednesday, the Romanian official participated in the meeting of the General Assembly at a high level on the topic of sea level rise and associated existential threats. During the address, he called for cooperation and solidarity for the management of this phenomenon, with direct implications on the humanitarian dimension, security and well-being, according to MAE.

Luminita Odobescu highlighted Romania’s commitment, including from the perspective of the Coalition’s champion quality for addressing sea level rise and its existential threats.

The minister’s program also included a series of bilateral meetings. During the discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Odobescu reconfirmed Romania’s support for a stronger commitment of the EU in relation to the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

She also had a bilateral meeting with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The two officials evoked the traditional Romanian-Palestinian relations, the Romanian official assuring that support for the consolidation of Palestinian institutions will continue in the future, including as part of international efforts in support of the Palestinian Authority. At the same time, Minister Odobescu highlighted the humanitarian support given to Palestinian civilians in the context of the crisis in the Gaza Strip, Mohammad Mustafa expressing his appreciation for the efforts of the Romanian side.

Minister Odobescu also had a meeting with Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Lolwah Al-Khater. The two dignitaries assessed the state of bilateral relations, underlining the need to boost the economic and sectoral dialogue in established cooperation formats.

Luminita Odobescu also had a short discussion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs from the State of Kuwait, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, on topics of common interest, from the perspective of strengthening bilateral relations. Security issues in the vicinity of the two states were also discussed.

AGERPRES