În Munich, Romanian foreign minister has bilateral meetings with European, U.S. officials

Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu, attending the Munich Security Conference, had bilateral meetings on Friday with several European and U.S. officials: Belgium's new Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation Maxime Prevot, Bulgarian new Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates Badr Abdellatty, U.S. Congress representatives - a delegation of the House of Representatives, the Foreign Ministry informed on Saturday.Also, the Romanian top diplomat met with the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, expressing on the occasion Romania's concern over the intensification of repressions, intimidation, arrests and political convictions targeting mass media, activists and the entire civil society in Belarus. The Romanian foreign minister emphasized the importance of the Belarusian exile opposition staying united and the need for coordinated action to promote the democratic aspirations of the citizens.Also on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Emil Hurezeanu met with American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch, with a group of veterans from the Ukrainian frontline, and with family members of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.The Romanian foreign minister also participated in the event titled "A Free and Open Black Sea: Evaluating Challenges on Connectivity, Global Food Security and Energy in the Region", highlighting on this occasion the strategic importance of the Black Sea both from the perspective of ensuring Euro-Atlantic security and from that of facilitating connections between Europe and Asia. He pointed out the further deterioration of the security situation in the Black Sea region, against the backdrop of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.The Romanian chief diplomat presented the regional projects and initiatives aimed at contributing to the security of the region and to capitalizing on its connectivity potential, emphasizing the importance of cooperation at European and Euro-Atlantic level for achieving these goals, including through the continuation of a robust NATO presence in the Black Sea, the adoption of an EU Black Sea Strategy and the full implementation of the U.S. Strategy on the Black Sea.