ForMin Aurescu spoke with French counterpart Colonna about NATO Battle Group in Romania

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu and the new Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, Catherine Colonna, met on Thursday on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Conference in Paris, with the two officials discussing the operationalization, as soon as possible, of the NATO Battle Group under the coordination of France, on the Romanian territory.

According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) press release sent to AGERPRES, Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania's appreciation for France's contribution to strengthening the Allied deterrence and defence posture on the Eastern Flank "in a unified and coherent manner, through the presence of the French military in Romania, emphasizing that this approach clearly confirms Allied solidarity and France's consistent commitment to the security of allied states, including Romania, thus contributing to the consolidation of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and France."

Minister Bogdan Aurescu mentioned the need for the strategic importance of the Black Sea region for Euro-Atlantic security to be reflected, in an appropriate manner, in the documents of the Madrid Summit, including in the new NATO Strategic Concept, given the security context generated by the illegal war waged by Russia against Ukraine. The two ministers also discussed the importance of strengthening the deterrence and defense posture on the Eastern Flank, given the negative security developments generated by the Russian aggression.

The two ministers also discussed the state of the fighting in Ukraine, the prospects and parameters for the resumption of peace negotiations, as well as the support of their states for the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, something that will help strengthen Allied security.

The French Foreign Minister expressed her appreciation for the way in which Romania provided multidimensional support to Ukraine, the Romanian Minister presenting Romania's efforts in this regard. He also presented the steps taken by our country to ensure the transit of Ukrainian cereals through Romania to other countries of destination.

Minister Aurescu stressed the need to support the Republic of Moldova in dealing with the various effects of the crisis caused by Russia's aggression and reiterated support for the European integration of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, stressing the need for a clear political signal on the EU's commitment to an ambitious pro-European path to be adopted at the European Council in June.

In the context of the talks on consolidating the reform of the Schengen area and the security of the Union's external borders, Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated, with arguments, the legitimate expectations of our country to join the Schengen area, emphasizing the way Romania handled the refugee situation in Ukraine.