ForMins Aurescu and Albares tackle Romanians' community in Spain, migration, Western Balkans

 The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, had, on Thursday, in Madrid, political consultations with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, on the occasion of an official visit to the Kingdom of Spain in the context of the celebration, this year, of 140 years of diplomatic relations between the two states.According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), in this context, the Romanian dignitary recalled the important contribution the Romanian community in Spain brings to the economic and social development of the hosting society and expressed appreciation for the support given by the Spanish authorities for the good integration of the Romanian citizens who choose to settle in the Kingdom of Spain. He also reiterated the expectations of the Romanian community regarding the regulation by the Spanish authorities of the double citizenship, namely the possibility of keeping their Romanian citizenship, if they wish to obtain the Spanish one.As for Romania's accession to the Schengen area, the head of the Romanian diplomacy thanked his Spanish counterpart for Spain's support of this important objective for Romania, a support reiterated also during the consultations.The two ministers also addressed the migration and asylum dossier, stressing the importance of solidarity at European level, namely the need to find a solution for a flexible, comprehensive and balanced mechanism that would take into account the interests of all the Member States concerned.Aurescu and Albares also discussed the EU's relationship with the Western Balkan states, with the Romanian minister showing that the enlargement process must move forward in accordance with the individual merits of the candidate states in fulfilling the accession criteria. He expressed the hope that a consensus would be reached by the end of the year on the adoption of negotiating frameworks with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia and the effective start of negotiations with these candidate states.Minister Aurescu also stressed the support provided by Romania to the active role of the EU in the Neighborhood, whether we are talking about the Eastern or Southern one, as a provider of stability and security, as a solid promoter of democratic values and principles, as a supporter of sustainable growth and the development of inclusive economies and societies.The Romanian chief diplomat expressed interest in securing a better connectivity between the Eastern and Southern Flanks of the North Atlantic Alliance, by identifying common objectives and interests and making sure an integrated approach of the two flanks.Moreover, Minister Aurescu highlighted the important cultural component of the relationship between Romania and Spain and the fact that the anniversary of the bilateral relationship was marked, throughout the current year, by a series of cultural events and public diplomacy, culminating with the "Archaeological Treasures from Romania. Dacian and Roman roots" exhibition at the National Museum in Madrid, one of the most important exhibitions of Romanian archaeology abroad, which he inaugurated, along with Minister Albares, on the occasion of this visit to Spain.