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ForMin Aurescu to participate in informal EU foreign ministers' meeting and EU Ministerial Forum on Indo-Pacific region.
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will participate on Friday in the informal Gymnich meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss Russia's aggression against Ukraine and EU-China relations, as well as in the EU Ministerial Forum on the Indo-Pacific region, told Agerpres.
According to a Foreign Ministry (MAE) press release, at the informal meeting, which will be hosted by the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council in Stockholm, European officials will also have an informal exchange of views with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The head of the Romanian diplomacy will reaffirm the need for continued support for Ukraine, on multiple dimensions and will welcome, in this context, the adoption of the Council decision on the assistance measure, through the European Peace Facility, in support of the Ukrainian armed forces, says the source.
At the same time, the minister will stress the need to ensure coherence and complementarity of support to Ukraine at EU and NATO level, with a view to making resources more efficient and ensuring the concrete impact of support.
Aurescu will also support the strengthening of the regime of restrictive measures against Russia through the rapid adoption of a new package of sanctions and the effective implementation of those already adopted, as well as measures to avoid the circumvention of sanctions against Russia.
Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania's position on Russia's accountability for the crimes committed against Ukraine and will highlight Romania's involvement in the diplomatic efforts of the EU and its member states to counter the Russian narrative among the states belonging to the Global South, the MAE press release reads.
The head of Romanian diplomacy will also reiterate support for the European path of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia and will stress that "the firm anchoring of these states to the EU represents a long-term commitment of the EU to the region as a whole," according to the source.
As regards the discussions on EU-China relations, MAE says that they "are occasioned by the need to recalibrate the EU's position in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and China's rallying to the Russian narrative."
Following the Gymnich meeting, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will participate in the EU Ministerial Forum on the Indo-Pacific region, which will be attended by more than 60 high-level representatives from the two geographical areas.
On this occasion, the officials will discuss strengthening the implementation of the EU Strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in a concrete, effective way and with significant regional impact, the MAE added.
Minister Bogdan Aurescu will be one of the moderators of the session dedicated to security issues, organised within the Forum. On this occasion, the Romanian official will highlight the close relationship between the EU and the Indo-Pacific region on "prosperity, growth prospects and security, in a comprehensive definition," the source mentions.
Aurescu will underline the importance of defending the rules-based international order through solidarity, given the current security context marked by growing tensions in both regions.
The Romanian minister will also "highlight the relevance of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region for the promotion of an open, free, secure and rule-based environment and will show that, in the process of making the strategy operational, Romania attaches particular importance to an effective approach, calibrated to the expectations of partners in the region," the MAE release reads.
