PM Ciuca welcomes Belgian PM Alexander De Croo at Victoria Palace

On an official visit to Romania on Wednesday, Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was welcomed at Victoria Palace, the Romanian Government House, by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca.After greeting in the Hall of Honour, the two senior officials headed for a working breakfast.   Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca discussed with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo the security situation in the region and the impact generated by the Russian military aggression in Ukraine.According to a press release of the government, the two prime ministers had a working breakfast at the Victoria Palace.Prime Minister Ciuca highlighted the solidarity of EU and NATO member states, underscoring the need to strengthen the Eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance.He thanked his Belgian counterpart for his decision to contribute troops to strengthening Allied defence in Romania, a "clear" proof of NATO's solidarity.Ciuca pointed out the efforts of the Romanian authorities, together with the civil society, to manage the flow of more than 700,000 refugees from Ukraine."We have shown that we are responsible for protecting the EU's external borders and managing large flows of refugees. Romanians have shown solidarity, empathy and determination in supporting war-torn Ukrainian citizens," Nicolae Ciuca was quoted as saying.The Prime Minister also underscored the concerns of the Republic of Moldova and the need for sustained European financial support to manage the crisis of Ukrainian refugees, as well as the economic effects generated by the conflict in the region.From a European perspective, the two heads of Executive said that the need to strengthen energy independence and manage the economic impact of Russian military aggression on Ukraine will require strengthening cooperation between member states to protect citizens and business environment.They agreed to advance bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, with a focus on nuclear and renewable fields. These objectives are in addition to the Romanian-Belgian cooperation in the field of microelectronics.Prime Minister Ciuca also brought to mind Romania's goal of joining the Schengen area, as a form of in-depth European cooperation.At the same time, during the dialogue, the high dignitaries also appreciated the important role of the Romanian community in Belgium, as well as that of the Belgian entrepreneurs in Romania.On Wednesday at noon, together with President Klaus Iohannis, the Romanian and Belgian prime ministers will visit 57th Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.