#Romania2019.eu/Melescanu: Romania supports opening new chapters in negotiations between Montenegro, Serbia with EU

Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu said on Friday before joining the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers (Gymnich) that Romania supports the opening of new chapters in Montenegro and Serbia's negotiations with the EU, appreciating that speeding up the process will allow faster accession of these countries to the European Union. 

"Romania supports the opening of new chapters in the negotiations between Montenegro and Serbia with the EU, and we believe that accelerating these negotiations will have to enable faster accession of these countries to the EU, although at the level of the Commission 2025 was given as accession horizon. We are convinced that this process can be accelerated and we will support the acceleration of this process," Melescanu said in a statement to the press. 

The minister mentioned that on Thursday, on the first day of the informal meeting in Bucharest, the topic of the Eastern Partnership was also approached as it has a special symbolism for the Romanian presidency of the EU Council. 

"It was a priority topic for Romania's presidency. We discussed it. It has a special symbolism for us because it is ten years since the creation of the Eastern Partnership and our concern is to prepare a ministerial meeting in Brussels to assess the good things that have happened in the framework of the Eastern Partnership and to give a certain perspective on the post-2020 period of the Eastern Partnership. For us it has a dual significance. On the one hand, encouraging the Eastern Partnership countries to continue with reforms that will make them compatible with EU values. On the other hand, we must recognize that these Eastern partners are very important contributors to the security of Europe," Teodor Melescanu said.