President Iohannis welcomes incoming ambassadors of France, Czech Republic, Bangladesh

President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday, welcomed the incoming ambassadors to Romania of Bangladesh, Daud Ali; the Czech Republic, Halka Kaiserova, and France, Laurence Auer, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace to receive their letters of credence.

During the meeting with the Bangladeshi ambassador, Iohannis hailed the decision to reopen this year the Bangladeshi diplomatic mission in Romania, which he called "a step able to contribute to the development of bilateral relations," according to the Presidential Administration.

Ambassador Daud mentioned the traditional nature of the relationship with Romania and underlined the desire to act for the intensification of the political and diplomatic dialogue and the development of co-operation in all areas of shared interest, with emphasis on the diversification of economic exchanges between the two countries.

At the meeting with the Czech ambassador, President Iohannis appreciated the quality of bilateral relationships and their potential for further deepening, with emphasis on economic and sectoral co-operation. He also highlighted the tradition of bilateral co-operation in the area of education.

The two officials noted the similarity of positions on a number of current affair matters on the European agenda, which provides the premises to boost coordination in this area, including for the time of the six-month Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2022.

Kaiserova, for her part, underscored a desire to intensify political and diplomatic dialogue, given that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, also pointing to the importance of economic co-operation from that perspective, given that Romania represents the Czech Republic's most important partner in the region. The ambassador spoke in favour of intensifying co-operation in the areas of education, research and culture, with the Czech community of Romania representing an important bridge between the two countries, according to the Presidential Administration.

During the meeting with the French ambassador, Iohannis welcomed the excellent state of relations between the two countries, based on deep historical, linguistic and cultural ties, currently subsumed in a solid strategic partnership.

The two officials underlined the common interest to update the roadmap of the strategic partnership, with the aim of conferring a higher level of ambition to the Romanian-French bilateral, European, and international co-operation.

Iohannis welcomed cultural co-operation, mentioning to the point the success of the Romania-France Season, a significant component of the bilateral relationship in recent years. He also highlighted the potential for co-operation in the area of Francophonie.

He expressed his readiness to step up cooperation in the run-up to France's presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2022, with the common goal of consolidating the European designed based on unity and cohesion so that it can cope with the current challenges.

The French ambassador voiced readiness to contribute to the development and deepening of the bilateral strategic partnership during his term of office, taking advantage of the traditional relations between the two countries, based on historical, linguistic and cultural ties. Auer also highlighted the potential for developing economic, cultural, scientific co-operation and contacts among the youths.

Iohannis wished success to the incoming ambassadors and assured them of official support for their actions aimed at developing relationships between Romania and the countries they represent.