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Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu attended the extraordinary summit of the Central European Initiative (CEI) on Friday, where he also spoke about the support our country has given Italy and the Republic of Moldova in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event was organized in the format of video-conference by the Montenegrin presidency-in-exercise and the Executive Secretariat of CEI, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, a release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) reads.
In his intervention, minister Bogdan Aurescu stressed that the challenges generated by the spread of the novel coronavirus represent a test of economic and societal resilience, solidarity and capacity for international cooperation in the search for an effective response to this global crisis. In this context, the Romanian chief of diplomacy expressed appreciation for the initiatives launched within the CEI, in particular the strengthening of the dialogue of this forum with the European Union, the World Health Organization and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in joint efforts in the face of the pandemic.
At the same time, the Romanian chief diplomat referred to the extensive financial support mobilised by the EU for the countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership in combating COVID-19 and recovering after the pandemic, which demonstrates in concrete terms the active involvement and importance the Union gives to the stability and development of its partners. On this occasion, the head of Romanian diplomacy congratulated the Western Balkan states on the results of the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb on 6 May. He said that the EU's decision to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia sends a strong political message on the region's European perspective, supported by our country.
Minister Bogdan Aurescu also stressed the significant support the Romanian state has provided to partners in the region, such as the Republic of Moldova and Italy, by sending medical teams to these states, as well as substantial quantities of medical equipment, medicines and medical devices, as was the case in the Republic of Moldova, as an expression of Romania's concern for citizens of the Republic of Moldova , further states the MAE release.
Furthermore, he pointed out Romania's role in expressing European solidarity with the Union's partners, through the RescEU-Romania mechanism being the first Member State to host this hub, which Italy, Spain, the Republic of North Macedonia and Montenegro have benefited from so far, by receiving medical equipment, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
