At FAC meeting, ForMin Melescanu presents major themes in Romania's attention during its tenure of EU Presidency

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu attended on Monday the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Brussels; the combat of disinformation, EU - League of Arab States cooperation and the relationship of the EU with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were among the subjects discussed, the Foreign Ministry said in a release.

The Romanian Foreign Minister presented the meeting the main subjects in Romania's attention during its tenure of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, including those related to foreign and security policy, where the Presidency acts in support of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Talks on the combat of misinformation focused on the operational implementation of the external dimension of the EU Action Plan against Disinformation, based on the conclusions of the European Council of December 2018, the release mentioned.

The Romanian top diplomat reiterated the strong support for concrete measures being set in place for rendering the Plan operational and for ensuring the most effective sharing of responsibilities among the involved structures, including through the promotion of EU messages and policies in EU's neighboring countries.

Minister Melescanu backed stepping up strategic communication efforts, notably by strengthening strategic communication teams and putting into operation early warning mechanisms; he also pointed out that the partnership with NATO on the strategic communication dimension needs to be continued and strengthened.

Teodor Melescanu advocated the organization of an EU-wide awareness campaign for European citizens on choosing the right sources of information, and highlighted the need to alert mass media representatives and the public opinion about the negative effects of disinformation in EU member states and in the neighborhood, the Foreign Ministry said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated Romania's interest in an integrated approach of the triangle resilience - hybrid threats - strategic communication, while ensuring cross-connections among the various areas of the EU Global Strategy.

"In the same context, he mentioned that the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council will organize in Bucharest February 28 to March 1, a conference on 'Facing Hybrid Threats through Consolidated Resilience and Enhanced StratCom'," the Foreign Ministry's release reads.

During talks on the EU-League of Arab States cooperation, Minister Melescanu expressed support for the organization of the EU - League of Arab States Summit scheduled to take place in Egypt on February 24 and 25, as well as for the February 4 preparatory ministerial meeting in Brussels.

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"The FAC meeting also occasioned a preparatory discussion for the EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting organized on the same day, with Minister Melescanu expressing firm support for deepening the relations between the EU and ASEAN in all areas of common interest and the accomplishment of a substantive strategic partnership capable of serving as a powerful tool for effectively addressing global challenges," the release concludes.

AGERPRES .