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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, said, during his intervention on behalf of Romania during the Ukraine Reform Conference, organized in hybrid system, in Vilnius, that Romania continues to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
On this occasion, Minister Aurescu reiterated Romania's support for the European aspirations of Ukraine and for a comprehensive and inclusive reform process, on the basis of commitments assumed through the Association Agreement of Ukraine with the European Union, Romania being the first EU member-state that ratified this document, in 2014.
"As a sign of the profound concerns of Romania regarding the challenges of the military presence of Russia, Ukraine was invited, for the first time, at the Trilateral meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers from Romania, Poland and Turkey, which we hosted on April 23. At the same time, Romania had a strong message in what regards the security interests of Ukraine, at the 'Bucharest 9' Summit, hosted by the Romanian President, on May 10, which was also attended by President Biden. Romania also supported the aspirations of Ukraine at the recent NATO summit," said the Romanian minister.
At the same time, he referred to Romania's position regarding Ukraine.
"I will take advantage of this occasion to reiterate the undaunting support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and for our commitment to not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea," Aurescu showed.
In this context, Aurescu spoke of the topic of "prolonged conflicts and their profoundly negative implications on the welfare of citizens and on the prosperity, security and positive development of the country."
"Romania grants strategic importance to the discussion and we are very active and vocal in what regards placing it as high on the European agenda as possible, but also at the Euro-Atlantic level," Bogdan Aurescu emphasized.
Furthermore, a MAE release sent to AGERPRES shows, the Romanian Minister emphasized the importance of increasing the efficiency of the reform process and the need to promote the durable character of economic and social development, with the involvement of all components of Ukrainian society, including persons belonging to the Romanian minority.
Foreign Minister Aurescu also emphasized the central role of the Association Agreement of Ukraine with the European Union, including the free trade component, the potential of which must be used in full. Additionally, he showed that reform must focus on citizens, to respond to the legitimate needs they have regarding welfare and security, increasing thus internal cohesion and societal resilience. He emphasized the importance of investments in human capital, "through an efficient and qualitative educational system, which offers opportunities to each student, regardless of ethnicity and language."
The Minister emphasized that Romania, as a neighboring country and EU member-state, is ready to use all its opportunities to increase physical connection with Ukraine, infrastructure investments being essential.
The Ukraine Reform Conference is an international event organized annually in support of the reform process in Ukraine, launched in 2017 and now at its fourth edition. The previous three editions took place in London (2017), Copenhagen (2018) and Toronto (2019).
The conference represents a platform that brings together Ukrainian officials and partner states of Ukraine, representatives of the EU, NATO, G7, of the business community, and of the civil society. Among the main objectives of the conference are the presentation of the status of the reform process in Ukraine and the priorities of the Kiev Government for the next year, the promotion of involvement of the international community in support of the reform process and encouraging investments in the Ukrainian economy.
