President Dan welcomed European Council President Antonio Costa at Cotroceni Palace

President of the European Council Antonio Costa was welcomed on Wednesday at the Cotroceni Palace by President Nicusor Dan.The two officials have scheduled one-on-one and official talks, followed by joint press statements.   Romania is a key-element for European security, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa declared on Wednesday in a joint statement with President Nicusor Dan.The high official began his speech by congratulating Nicusor Dan for his victory in the presidential elections."I congratulate Romania for its commitment to Ukraine and for its commitment to European security," Costa said at the Cotroceni Palace.He argued that prosperity and security in the European Union are interconnected."We have two lines of action; to increase competitiveness, to fuel economic growth, to create better jobs and to increase the prosperity of our societies; secondly, we have security. The two are linked, because it is not possible to have a good economic situation without having a well-established security", Costa also stated.The official highlighted that Europe's security depends on the security on the eastern border."We all support your security. We know that we depend to a large extent on Romania's security", added the President of the European Council.Costa detailed that he also discussed with the Romanian President the enlargement of the European Union, "the most important geopolitical investment".In this regard, he mentioned the Republic of Moldova. "The Moldovan government is doing very well in terms of the necessary reforms," he said, adding that after the country's elections, which will take place at the end of the month, the "necessary conditions" will be met to start pre-accession procedures.The European Council's President said that discussions are currently underway for the future EU budget, for "very ambitious policies."   In turn, president Nicusor Dan said that the visit of the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, to Romania represents a proof of European solidarity."We are living a complicated period in Europe and European solidarity is important in this period. Your visit is a proof of this European solidarity", said Nicusor Dan.The Romanian President mentioned that the discussions focused on the security situation and the European Union's strategy for the Black Sea."We discussed the hybrid war that, unfortunately, we are facing these days. We discussed European solidarity and the SAFE mechanism, which will help Europe take its security into its own hands. We talked about the future negotiations on the EU budget," Nicusor Dan said.The President added that he addressed with the high-ranking official the European Union enlargement process that Romania supports, especially for the Republic of Moldova, and the EU's role in the world. In this regard, he mentioned the EU summits with South America and Africa, respectively, and "the need for the European Union to develop its partnerships with other countries and regions."Antonio Costa is the second EU leader to visit Romania this week.President Nicusor Dan welcomed on Monday President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, at the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" Military Base. (Photo: https://www.presidency.ro/)