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Press statement by minister Luminița Odobescu

Romania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Date: 01/12/24
Event: Meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Luminița Odobescu with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis

Dear minister, dear Gabrielius,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for your invitation to the 2024 Snow Meeting, a highly appreciated annual event. I am looking forward later today to its traditionally insightful and fruitful discussions!

This context offered us also the opportunity for an in-depth bilateral exchange at the beginning of this year.

And this year is of particular importance, as the minister underlined, for our bilateral relations, as Romania and the Republic of Lithuania celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

Therefore, it is an excellent opportunity to take stock of our excellent bilateral relations, effective coordination between the two Foreign Ministries, but also in the EU, NATO and in regional formats such as Bucharest 9 and the Three Seas Initiative.

Today's discussion has been a continuation of our consistent bilateral dialogue at all levels. In this context, I also want to thank the Minister for Lithuania`s support for our accession to Schengen. I also welcomed our mutual resolve to increase efforts for our bilateral economic and sectorial cooperation to reach full potential, thus mirroring the level of our political relations.

I highlighted in our conversation not only the good cooperation on defence, but also I expressed our readiness to step up cooperation in fields such as high technologies, energy security, cyber security, health, education and culture.

We had an in-depth exchange of views on the deteriorating security environment in Europe and beyond. Sadly, we are witnessing a complicated international situation with conflicts and crises, both in our immediate neighbourhood and globally.

I reaffirmed Romania's unwavering commitment to continue its consistent and multidimensional support for Ukraine. We will continue to support Ukraine's fight for its independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty for as long as it takes.

Moreover, allowing Ukraine to achieve its objectives according to its own choosing, rendering justice to the victims, and fighting against impunity, all these remain fundamental objectives not only for Ukraine, but also for us. Peace and justice cannot be decoupled.

Romania's position on negotiations remains firm: Ukraine alone has the political and moral legitimacy to decide if, when, and on what terms it wants to engage with Russia.

I have highlighted Romania's efforts to increase transit capacity for Ukrainian grains and goods, and presented the measures in support of the Ukrainian refugees.

I also pointed out that we must continue focusing on the adoption, implementation and combating the circumvention of sanctions.

I also underlined that the Republic of Moldova is Ukraine's most affected neighbour, as Russia continues its war of aggression in Ukraine and practically its actions are affecting also its vicinity.

Romania will continue to make efforts in providing bilateral assistance to the Republic of Moldova, adapted to the needs of its authorities and citizens. In addition, we are committed to further support the mobilization of international political, financial and technical support for Chișinău. Through coordinated diplomatic cooperation with our partners, we can meet efforts to combat these vulnerabilities and help the Republic of Moldova strengthen its resilience.

We also discussed and had an in-depth exchange of views on the security situation on NATO's Eastern Flank. I have underlined Romania`s appreciation for the results of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, when we took another step towards strengthening NATO's focus on the Black Sea region. Strengthening the Allied presence on the Eastern Flank, in a coherent and unitary manner, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, remains a top priority for the Alliance.

Of course, we exchanged views on our priorities for the upcoming Summit of the Alliance, that will take place in Washington. I mentioned that making the Regional defence plans fully operational is a critical step for our posture and our commitment to ensure defence of every inch of Allied territory.

We also exchanged ideas on the EU agenda for the forthcoming period, also taking into account that we are approaching the end of the legislative cycle and we expect the rhythm of the decision-making process to be accelerated in the first semester. In this context, of course, we have discussed about advancing the EU enlargement process in the light of the historic decision taken at the European Council in December last year. For us, for Romania, and for Lithuania as well, it is important to maintain a positive dynamic of the process based on the quality of the reforms and attachment to the European values of our candidates. And this is equally valid for the Western Balkans candidates and for the Eastern Partners.

So, minister, dear colleagues, thank you very much again for the invitation. I also want to thank you for the very substantial exchange of views, for your openness to deepen our bilateral relation, as well as for our strong coordination on important topics we have on EU and NATO agenda.