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Romania's Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu on Wednesday met delegations of foreign affairs committees of Poland's Senate and Turkey's Grand National Assembly to welcome strengthening parliamentary dialogue among the three countries.
According to a press statement released by the Romanian Foreign Ministry ( MAE), the three officials in Bucharest in a three-way meeting of the foreign affairs committees of the Romanian Senate, the Polish Senate and Turkey's Grand National Assembly.
Melescanu highlighted the important role that the members of national parliaments play in foreign and security policy, both from the point of view of ensuring the necessary conditions for meeting the commitments made at international level, as well as regarding the connection of the objectives and policies in this field to the citizens' needs and expectations.
He also highlighted Romania's strategic importance attached to bilateral strategic partnerships with Poland and Turkey, mentioning the added value of trilateral co-operation, which offers the opportunity to deepen the dialogue on topics of strategic interest and to promote more effectively shared objectives at the regional level and at the level of NATO. He said such co-operation is all the more important in the current, extremely complex security situation.
Melescanu also voiced concern over the latest developments near the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait that culminated in the use of force, highlighting Romania's firm support for Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and territorial integrity and the need to deescalate tension. He reiterated Romania's position on the importance of international law being respected.
He outlined Romania's priorities when holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2019, with emphasis on the importance of promoting cohesion among member states, the EU's overall role as well as European action in the neighbourhood to promote peace, stability and prosperity throughout the European continent.
The Romanian official mentioned the attention to be given to the Eastern Partnership, ten years after its launch, as well as to the Western Balkans region, as part of promoting an enlargement policy, on the basis of the accession criteria being met and according to own merits. He underlined support for Turkey's EU accession and continued EU-Turkey dialogue, to the interest of both parties. Melescanu also expressed Romania's firm commitment to a solid transatlantic relationship as a pillar of Euro-Atlantic and global security.
The parliamentary delegations voiced interest in maintaining a constant dialogue in support of deepening co-operation among the three countries and promoting common interests. They shared concerns about recent events, highlighting the need for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine being respected and for all diplomatic levers being used to avoid worsening the situation.
Heads of delegations from Poland and Turkey welcomed Romania's objectives in the context of its forthcoming EU Council Presidency. They voiced support for strengthening the EU's joint action in the neighbourhood and globally as well as for furthering the process of enlargement and providing active support to partner countries.
The trilateral meeting of the foreign affairs committees of the Romanian Senate, the Polish Senate and Turkey's Grand National Assembly took place in Bucharest, November 26-28, 2018. The parliamentary dimension of the trilateral consultative format is complementary to governmental action, with the aim of strengthening the role of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting the common security interests of the three countries.
On the level of the foreign ministries, trilateral consultations in the Poland-Romania-Turkey format have been held since 2012. The consultations are informal, non-organisational, designed to deepen dialogue among the three countries on topics of strategic interest. The format facilitates the harmonisation of national positions and the identification of new opportunities for co-ordination and co-operation inside NATO and at the regional level, according to MAE.
