Bolojan - Stocker: Discussions on energy, economic cooperation, investments, Black Sea security, EU expansion

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan was welcomed at the Federal Chancellery on Ballhausplatz by his counterpart Christian Stocker during a ceremony with military honours on Thursday.After the national anthems of the two countries were played, the guard of honour was reviewed.The two heads of government held a t?te-?-t?te meeting followed by a plenary session with the two delegations.    Discussions held with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker reflect the commitment of both Romania and Austria to give a new dynamic to the political-diplomatic dialogue and cooperation at the level of the two governments, said Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan."We had substantial discussions and they reflect the commitment of both Romania and Austria to give a new dynamic to the political-diplomatic dialogue and cooperation at the level of the two governments. A basic pillar of Romanian-Austrian relations is the economic and sectoral cooperation between our countries," Ilie Bolojan declared on Thursday, in the joint press conference held together with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.He pointed out that Austria is one of the main foreign investors in Romania, and companies with Austrian capital in our country provide about 100,000 jobs.At the same time, he emphasized that Austria is an important trading partner, with the volume of bilateral trade reaching approximately 6 billion euros last year."Although, in the last 10 years, both investments and trade have increased by over 60%, there is still significant potential on both levels. In fact, I will continue to participate in a business lunch, together with the Federal Chancellor and representatives of the business environment from Romania and Austria. Our common objective is to identify new investment and cooperation opportunities," Bolojan also stated.The energy sector represents an essential area of our economic collaboration, with an important role for Austrian companies, the Prime Minister mentioned."I discussed with the Chancellor how we can improve interconnections in our region, in order to have a functional European energy market and find quick solutions to alleviate the high prices we are facing, precisely because this market is not functioning. It is an important issue for Romania and I welcome the Chancellor's openness to working together," Bolojan also declared.He pointed out that the discussions also focused on the opportunities offered by cooperation within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, Romania together with Austria being the initiators of this Strategy."I am referring here to involvement in future reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, where our companies can work together and use the Danube potential," Bolojan explained.During the discussions, he expressed to his Austrian counterpart his appreciation for the support given to Romania's objective of joining the OECD, support on which Romania continues to count.At the same time, he welcomed the dynamics of cooperation in the fields of education, culture, research and innovation."We have increased mobility of students and academic staff and very good results in the Austrian dual vocational training system. We already have partnerships that can be expanded to meet the needs of the labor market and reduce skills gaps," said Bolojan.Also, the Head of the Executive emphasized on this occasion Romania's important contribution to the protection of the Union's external borders and the responsible management, including in cooperation with the Austrian side, of illegal immigration.At the European level, several topical issues were addressed."We discussed the security situation in our region, the Black Sea, and respectively our joint efforts and support to reach a just peace in Ukraine. It is essential that both the interests of Ukraine and Europe be taken into account. Our security is closely linked. Together we support the Union's enlargement process and it is important to take more decisive steps in this direction. I am referring here to the effective opening of negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and to advancing with Ukraine and the Western Balkans. It is our investment in the security and prosperity of our region. I also advocated for continued support for the Republic of Moldova, especially in the economic field," the Head of the Executive added.He mentioned that the discussions also focused on the ongoing negotiations on the future budget of the Union and the need to move forward with a budget that ensures adequate funding for both traditional policies, such as cohesion or the common agricultural policy, but also those that ensure our much-needed competitiveness.Last but not least, Prime Minister Bolojan emphasized the importance of the Romanian community in Austria."The Romanian community in Austria, the second largest community of foreign citizens in this country. Romanians in Austria represent the bond of our relations. We will continue to work together to enhance the potential of this community and to meet their expectations. I expressed support for the development of various educational formats that would ensure access to education in the mother tongue for the new generation of Romanians abroad and I welcomed the support of the Austrian authorities", said Bolojan.The Romanian Prime Minister thanked the Austrian Chancellor for the substantive discussions and invited him to Bucharest next year to continue this dialogue. (Photo:https://gov.ro/)