President Iohannis: I will remain a strong advocate of EU enlargement process

 I remain a strong supporter of the European Union enlargement process, and Romania remains committed to supporting the European path of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, president Klaus Iohannis said Wednesday, at the Cotroceni Palace, at the meeting with the heads of missions, heads of consular offices and ICR directors on the occasion Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy."We need an ambitious and predictable calendar for the partners involved in the enlargement process, both from Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, carried out on the basis of the candidate states' own merits. Romania strongly supported the historic decision regarding the opening of accession negotiations to the European Union with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, adopted at the meeting of the European Council on December 14-15, 2023, and we will remain engaged in supporting the European path of these countries," the president said.According to Iohannis, bilateral cooperation with the Republic of Moldova has reached an unprecedented level, currently being at the highest level in history, while adding that he also promoted a constructive and principled relationship with Ukraine."On the level of security and defense, as a member state of NATO, Romania has a constructive role and a balancing factor, being a provider of security and stability. Given the decisions made at the NATO Summits where I represented our country in the last 10 years, we can say without a trace of hesitation that Romania currently benefits from the highest degree of defense and protection in our entire history. You must continue the necessary steps to ensure Romania's security!" Iohannis stressed.The president highlighted a key moment, in 2022, when a new Strategic Concept of NATO was adopted, which, at the initiative of Romania, enshrines the strategic importance of the Black Sea for Euro-Atlantic security.President Iohannis also spoke about the Strategic Partnership with the United States, as an essential pillar of Romania's foreign policy, stating that it became more robust during this period and acquired more substance.Moreover, the president said that during his 10-year mandate, special attention was paid to the strengthening of partnerships and bilateral strategic relations with the states which "our common values and interests are close" with, such as Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland."We have maintained privileged relations with Great Britain and Turkey, and in the 2020-2024 period we have concluded three new strategic partnerships, with Bulgaria, Japan and Georgia. We have common concerns and interests with the Baltic states and other states in the central and eastern European area, some of which we reflect in common messages and approaches, including in the Bucharest Format 9. The Western Balkans region remains among the priorities of Romania's diplomatic action, both from the perspective of bilateral relations and from the perspective of the European integration process," he added.   On the other hand, Iohannis said that Romania's joining the Schengen border-free zone by air and sea was an important milestone success and emphasized that the lifting of land border controls also remains a priority objective."The European Union remains a free movement area par excellence. Romania's admission to the Schengen Area with its air and sea borders was an important milestone success and reconfirmed the fact that our country effectively ensures the protection of the European Union's external borders and fully deserves to be part of this space. The lifting of land border controls remains a priority objective for us. I am convinced that we will succeed in completing this collective effort, to the benefit not only of Romanian citizens, but of a more prosperous Union free of artificial hindrances," the head of the state told the meeting with mission & consular office heads and ICR directors gathered at the Cotroceni Palace for the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy.Iohannis emphasized that at a European level, Romania continues to be a balancing factor, strengthening the integration and promotion of the Union as a strong actor, with a significant global impact."We have constantly acted to increase the Union's cohesion, resilience and solidarity, without internal fragmentation," said the president, who also referenced the 2019 EU Summit in Sibiu which - according to him - has put its mark on the history of the European bloc, setting the foundation for the strategic constructions of the period 2019 – 2024.   În his opinion, Romania's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) represents a "major" foreign policy objective, president Klaus Iohannis said, emphasizing that the inter-institutional effort must be increased for the successful completion of this process in the as short a time as possible."On a multilateral level, Romania's accession to the OECD represents a major foreign policy objective. Decisive steps have been taken in advancing this process, which require internal transformation of policies, practices and legislation. I insist that the inter-institutional effort be increased for its successful completion of the OECD accession process in the shortest possible time," said the head of state, at the Cotroceni Palace, at the meeting with the heads of diplomatic missionsIohannis also stated that Romania's global action has acquired, in recent years, a particular relevance, with increased attention being paid to cooperation with countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.