ForMin Aurescu discusses security, defence with head of National Security Bureau from Poland

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, on Friday reiterated Romania's interest in strengthening bilateral dialogue on security and defence issues with Poland, the most important strategic partner of Romania in the region, during a meeting with the head of the Polish National Security Bureau, Presidential Adviser Pawel Soloch, who is currently paying a visit to Romania.

"The head of the Romanian diplomacy reiterated Romania's interest in strengthening the bilateral dialogue on security and defence and to continue the close coordination with Poland, which is the most important strategic partner of our country in the region, under the NATO umbrella. The Romanian Foreign Minister voiced his interest in strengthening the regional formats initiated and supported by the two states, which have clear added value, such as the Bucharest 9 (B9) format, the two officials agreeing to continue the close coordination, in the next period, between Romania and Poland, in preparation for the NATO Summit due in June 2021, and further on, in the process of elaborating a new allied Strategic Concept," reads a press release sent to AGERPRES by the MAE.

According to the same source, the two dignitaries agreed to continue coordination on the Three Seas Initiative, and the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs recalled the need to further promote, together, the projects of common Romanian-Polish interest Rail-2-Sea and Via Carpathia, which are of a major importance both from an economic perspective for the development of the region, but also in terms of security and mobility on NATO's Eastern Flank.

"At the same time, they appreciated the trilateral format Romania-Poland-Turkey focusing security issues and the prospects for the continuation of the trialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers, in the first part of this year, in Bucharest. The two sides underscored the importance of continuing cooperation and coordination between Romania and Poland to strengthen NATO's role, unity and allied cohesion, as well as the transatlantic relationship. They also highlighted the increased attention paid to strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence stance and cohesion, especially on the entire Eastern Flank. The head of the Romanian diplomacy also mentioned in this context the steps already taken to set up a Euro-Atlantic Centre for Resilience, resilience being a growing topic of interest on NATO and EU agendas. In his turn, the head of the Polish National Security Bureau expressed Poland's support for this project of Romania and the intention to get involved in the activity of the Centre," the release also said.