Premium
Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu, attending on Monday the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, emphasized the need for Russia's international isolation to continue, and voiced support for the fast adoption of the 11th round of sanctions against the aggressor state, the Foreign Ministry reports.
He highlighted the importance of an effective implementation of the restrictions adopted so far and of preventing their circumvention by third countries.
During the exchange of views with counterparts from the Western Balkans, Minister Aurescu welcomed their presence, as a continuation of the practice initiated at the May 2022 FAC meeting, where partners from the Balkans were invited for the first time to meet with European ministers, and expressed his confidence that such periodic FAC discussions will contribute to boosting cooperation with this region.
Aurescu reiterated support for the European path of the states in the region, with the EU being their closest partner, including through the dedicated Economic and Investment Plan, and expressed Romania's full readiness to support their pro-European efforts, encouraging a stepped up pace of internal reforms in order to maintain a sustainable positive dynamic.
The Romanian top diplomat also referred to the difficult context generated by the consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the implications for the region, welcoming the progress made by most of the partners in aligning with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) decisions, and particularly with those targeting Russia, and avoidance of sanctions evasion.
In this context, Aurescu encouraged the continuation of efforts to align with the CFSP, not only as a technical exercise, but especially as an expression of support for shared European values, and highlighted the importance of strengthening pro-European strategic communication, as well as of combating foreign interference amid the current difficult geopolitical context which requires an increased commitment to building an EU - Western Balkans common resilience space. AGERPRES
