The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminita Odobescu, declared that 2023 was a difficult year, with countless challenges and, more than ever, the international developments this year surprised through intensity, scope and complexity of the consequences.

„Every end of the year is also a moment of activity review. For us, as diplomats, looking carefully at the past year is not only a useful exercise, but also mandatory, as the lessons learnt represent the solid basis for future activity. 2023 has been a difficult year, with countless challenges. More than ever, the international developments of this year which is just ending have surprised through intensity, scope and complexity of the consequences. We have been put in the position to manage the implications of a complicated international situation, characterized by turbulence, conflicts and crises, both in our immediate neighborhood and globally: Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the terrorist attack of the Hamas organization on the State of Israel, the intolerable humanitarian situation in Gaza, the instability in the Sahel region, the tensions in other areas of the Middle East or from the Indo-Pacific region – all of these represented and continue to represent threats without precedent in contemporary history, which endanger the international order based on rules”, Odobescu conveyed in hre message on the occasion of the New Year.

She added that in the face of war, insecurity, radicalism, the only solution is the determination and courage to face them – through continuous effort, sustained dialogue and perseverance.

Luminita Odobescu stated that „we still have a lot to do for 2024”, but it is obvious that in 2023 Romania took important steps to achieve its foreign policy objectives.

„There are no signs that 2024 will be less difficult than the year that is ending. But we are entering the new year with confidence and optimism, built on the mentioned successes, but also on trust in the professionalism, seriousness and, last but not least, the cohesion of the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s team. We have clear lines of action, which start from protecting and promoting the interests and security of Romania and Romanian citizens. Our foreign policy will be characterized by continuity, anticipation and reaction. We will therefore continue to work in the direction of strengthening the European Union, supporting Ukraine and rejecting Russia’s aggression against it, strengthening security in the Black Sea region, strengthening NATO’s defense capacity, expanding the Strategic Partnership with the USA, supporting the European path of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia and the states of the Western Balkans, identifying a lasting solutions to the conflict in the Middle East, deepening our partnerships with the states with which we share the same values”, she also said.

Source: AGERPRES