While addressing the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, President Klaus Iohannis said that the Black Sea region is crucial both for the regional security and for the Euro Atlantic security considering the current geopolitical context.
“We cannot afford to think narrowly from the strategic point of view, and our expertise and competence can substantially contribute to solving the problems which form the instability bow in the Black Sea area,” the Romanian president told the panel entitled “Amid reassurance and re-engagement? NATO’s future”.
Klaus Iohannis also stated that Romania remains a pillar of democracy and of stability in the region, pointing out that our country ‘will keep being a security source at the NATO’s and EU’s eastern border.’
President Klaus Iohannis met his Ukrainian counterpart at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, with the Presidential Administration informing that Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko will pay an official visit to Romania this year.
At the same time, Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romania’s support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, while underlining the importance of the full implementation of the Minsk agreements to solve the crisis.
While meeting with Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer on Friday, Iohannis said that Romania and the German land of Bavaria want to revive the Romanian-Bavarian joint governmental committee, with Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer saying that he accepted an invitation to visit Romania.
“We have a sizeable local community, Romanians who wanted to live in Bavaria, but also very many German ethnics coming from Romania and choosing to live in Bavaria. All those who have decided to come to Bavaria and to keep the connection with the country are a specially important bridge between Romania and Bavaria and it is to our interest to support these communities,” Iohannis said.
In his turn, the Bavarian premier congratulated President Iohannis on Romania’s “outstanding achievements,” which he said were also praised by the European Commission.
“We have agreed to revive the excellent collaboration between Bavaria and Romania and we want to do it by resuming the activity of a joint governmental committee. (…) Mr. President invited me to Romania and I will accept the invitation,” Seehofer said.
On Thursday, President Iohannis also met Chair of the Bavarian Parliament Barbara Stamm.