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Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu stressed on Wednesday, on the second day of the meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels that our country will continue to maintain its active profile and significant presence in the theater of operations in Afghanistan in 2019 too.
According to a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) on Wednesday, the works of the second day of the meeting in Brussels began with a working session on Western Balkan attended by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, the developments in the region were analysed on this occasion and the state and perspectives of NATO relations with the partners in the area were discussed.
"The progresses of NATO's" open door "policy were welcomed, notably the conclusion of the Prespa Agreement and the start of NATO's accession negotiations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Allies also presented readiness to accept, by the authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first Membership Action Plan (MAP)'s from Sarajevo, if they would like to benefit from this NATO membership preparation tool. Also agreed was the need to increase NATO's support for the states in the region, endorsing their reform efforts and fighting security challenges in the region," the MAE said.
According to the same source, the Romanian Minister stressed the need for a constructive commitment of all regional actors, in line with the assumed obligations and avoiding initiatives that could increase tensions and negatively affect regional security. He also emphasised the importance of a unitary message and synergy of action between NATO and the EU in the region, which Romania will continue to support, including during the Presidency of the EU Council.
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"The final ministerial session was dedicated to the situation in Afghanistan in the format of the participants in the Resolute Support (RSM) mission. On this occasion, it was reconfirmed the commitment to Afghanistan by continuing the operational effort within the RSM mission, by providing the necessary funding for the Afghan security and defence forces and by supporting the process of internal reconciliation. The Romanian Foreign Minister stressed that our country will continue to maintain its active profile and significant presence in Afghanistan's theater of operations next year. At the end of the works, a joint statement on the RSM format regarding Afghanistan was adopted," the release mentions
During the day, the Romanian Minister had a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell, during which an exchange of views on the status and prospects of the bilateral relationship on all its components - political, economic and security was carried out, as well as talks regarding the developments in the Black Sea region, in the current context, but also ways of managing the challenges of the area.
Another tackled aspect was the cooperation during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council, with the Romanian Foreign Minister reiterating the crucial importance of the transatlantic relationship and the support for the deepening of the NATO-the EU relationship in all areas of common interest, the MAE release mentions.
AGERPRES .
