Klaus Iohannis in Brussels reasserts conviction on Western Balkans region's European future

President Klaus Iohannis attended, on Thursday and Friday, the meetings of the leaders of the European Union and the Western Balkans, the European Council and the Euro Summit in an extended format, the Presidential Administration informs.During the meeting of the leaders of the European Union and the Western Balkans, the EU's support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans and for advancing and strengthening the enlargement process was reaffirmed on the basis of the established criteria. The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss with partners in the region concrete ways of strengthening cooperation in key areas of common interest, with the aim of strengthening resilience, the quoted source says.President Iohannis reaffirmed, in his speech, his conviction on the European future of the Western Balkans region, stressing our country's firm support for advancing the enlargement policy in accordance with its own merits.Klaus Iohannis also reiterated his support for the effective opening, as soon as possible, of negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania, respectively, and the identification of solutions to boost the process of rapprochement with the EU for Bosnia and Herzegovina.The Romanian president has highlighted the importance of continuing reforms and, at the same time, openness to strengthen sectoral cooperation in key areas to strengthen resilience, such as energy, transport, the digital sector, combating disinformation, according to the Presidential Administration.Regarding the decision of the European Council to grant the status of candidate for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and, respectively, the recognition of the European perspective for Georgia, the President of Romania highlighted the geostrategic importance of supporting these countries in the process of rapprochement with the EU, based on the Opinions of the European Commission."Klaus Iohannis saluted the decision to grant the status of candidate for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, together with the European perspective for Georgia, a decision that he described as a historical one and which meets the legitimate expectations of the citizens who have demonstrated their firm attachment to the European values and aspirations for a stable and secure future, in peace and prosperity," the Presidential Administration says.The President of Romania reaffirmed the constant and sustained support of our country for Ukraine, on multiple levels, and presented Romania's efforts to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine, showing that Romania's ports and transport corridors are being used at full capacity to increase the volume of exports to global markets, the cited source adds.During the debate on defining the relations of the European Union with the close partners in Europe, the Romanian President noted that "this difficult moment in the history of the continent requires first of all a united and strong European response, but at the same time flexible, avoiding the creation of alternatives or substitutes to the enlargement process", adding that "such an initiative must allow the discussion of topics that concern all Europeans, such as energy security or foreign policy".President Iohannis highlighted the importance of maintaining the unity and cohesion of member states throughout the entire process of monitoring the implementation of the outcomes of the conference and stressed "the need to use the full potential of the current institutional and legal framework before exploring other possible ways, especially since, for the vast majority of proposals, the current treaties provide for the legal implementation framework".