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The close ties with Poland in terms of security and defence must be matched by economic cooperation to the extent of the potential offered by the two economies, president Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday afternoon, after meeting with the visiting Polish premier, Mateusz Morawiecki.
"Poland is a close and long-lasting friend, a key strategic partner and a reliable ally of Romania. We are bound by strong common strategic and security interests, reinforced by the current very tense context of regional security. (...) I note in particular the very high level of bilateral cooperation in the field of security, both from the perspective of bilateral relations and at the allied level. We intend that our close ties in the line of security and defense will be matched by a robust and fruitful economic cooperation, to the extent of the potential offered by the two economies. Poland is one of Romania's most important trading partners in the region: in 2022, bilateral trade reached a record level of almost 11 billion euros," Klaus Iohannis said.
President Iohannis said he was certain that the joint meeting of the governments of Romania and Poland, held on Tuesday, had set the objectives to be achieved for the further expansion and diversification of the Romanian-Polish cooperation in as many areas as possible.
"I welcome the adoption of the Joint Declaration between the two heads of government, as well as the signing of sectoral bilateral agreements," the president said.
Klaus Iohannis pointed out that together with the Polish official he reiterated his firm condemnation of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and that only Kyiv can decide the parameters of peace talks with Moscow.
"Romania and Poland will unequivocally maintain their support for Ukraine for as long as necessary. As it is known, since the beginning of this war, Romania has been at the forefront of action to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian population," Iohannis said.
The president agreed with the Polish prime minister the need to strengthen bilateral coordination within the European Union and NATO in order to continue the full support of Ukraine.
"At the same time, we agreed to intensify the support for the most vulnerable and most affected partners of the conflict in the region, especially the Republic of Moldova," he added.
The discussions also targeted the security situation in the Black Sea region and on the Eastern Flank.
"We reaffirmed the commitment of our states to continue to work together to implement the decisions of the NATO Summit in Madrid regarding the strengthening of the Allied position of deterrence and defense on the Eastern Flank," the president said.
Klaus Iohannis reaffirmed Romania's appreciation for Poland's active support for Schengen.
At the same time, the two officials reiterated their joint support for advancing on the European path of Ukraine and Moldova as candidate states to the EU.
The president presented Romania's priorities for the Three Seas Initiative Summit to be held in Bucharest in September and for the Business Forum of the Initiative.
"We have highlighted the strategic relevance of the infrastructure projects promoted within the Initiative of the Three Seas, especially the Rail2Sea and Via Carpathia projects," Klaus Iohannis said.AGERPRES
