ForMin Odobescu welcomes Canada's special envoy for EU Dion

  Romania's Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu on Wednesday welcomed Canada's special envoy for the EU and Europe Stephane Dion for an exchange of views on the crisis generated by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the one generated by the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7.According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), Odobescu highlighted the importance of keeping up transatlantic unity and co-operation with international partners who share the values of democracy and human rights, in this particularly difficult context.At the same time, she reconfirmed Romania's firm position on providing support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.She also underscored the importance of implementing the decisions of the NATO Summit in Vilnius regarding forward presence and the consolidation of the eastern flank, along with the need for increased attention of the transatlantic partners to the Black Sea region, a space of strategic importance, materialised aslo by sustained support for Moldova.Odobescu reiterated the importance of continuing NATO support to Romania to reduce the risks on the border with Ukraine amidst Russia's attacks on Ukraine.In his turn, Dion commended Romania for its efforts related to Ukraine, which are extremely well perceived in Canada, a country where a very large Ukrainian community lives.The two officials pointed out the excellent state of the ties between Romania and Canada, both bilaterally and multilaterally, with emphasis on close co-operation within NATO and the EU-Canada format."From a bilateral perspective, Ambassador Dion underlined the importance of energy co-operation, where Canada's involvement is traditional, substantial and consolidated. Collaboration in the civil nuclear power sector, including transition towards less polluting energy sources, is an area of excellence and reflects the complex nature of the bilateral relationships,' according to MAE.