FM Aurescu: Romania’s foreign policy must put forth stability, continuity and predictibility

In his first press conference held as Romania’s FM, Bogdan Aurescu also tackled Diaspora vote topic, assuring  that MFA will support any investigation and talked about upcoming official visits.

Bogdan Aurescu stated that, giving the present international context, it’s extremely important that Romania should give proof of predictibility, stability and continuity in its foreign policy stances. The new foreign minister asserted that he will pay the first visit to Chisinau on December 1, right after the elections taking place in the Republic of Moldova, “a historical moment” which represents “a national security matter” for Romania.

“The elections taking place in the Republic of Moldova on November 30 represent a historical moment for the people over the Prut river, and we hope they should mark the consolidation of Moldovan irreversible path towards Europe and the continuation of democratic reforms. Otherwise, all the efforts made by the pro-European government, but also by the EU, including Romania’s intense efforts in this strategic direction, will be in vain. Therefore, this moment is a national security issue for Romania, as it is located at the external border of the EU and NATO,” said Aurescu, adding that his first visit to Chisinau as FM will be on December 1, Romania’s National Day. The minister also said that his first diplomatic contact with a counterpart was with Natalia Gherman, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova.

He announced that his second official visit will be in Brussels, at NATO foreign ministers’ meeting on December 2. On December 3, Aurescu will participate at the meeting of the international anti- ISIL coalition, also in Brussels. On December 4-5, the head of Romanian diplomacy will take part in  the OSCE Foreign Ministers Meeting in Basel, Switzerland. The minister said that the meeting “will mainly focus on the situation in Ukraine”, but also on topics such as the frozen conflicts, including the one from the Transdniester region.

As for Ukraine, he said the situation remains critical and, from this point of view, decisions at the NATO summit must be implemented, including establishing the presence of the Command and Control Alliance structures on the territory of the Eastern flank states, Romania included. The new head of diplomacy stressed that, at NATO foreign ministers’ meeting on December 2, he will aim for a decision of further Alliance’s reinsurance measures for the Eastern flank’s states in 2015.

In another trail of thoughts, FM Aurescu talked about the elections’ organization, hailing the General Prosecutor’s office probe into this matter and emphasizing that MFA will fully support this investigation. The FM added that “all the aspects concerning the organization of the elections and the ministry’s involvement” in the organization of the presidential elections must be clarified and that “the responsibilities must be clearly established”.

 The new FM told journalists that for him the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) represents “his house and his home”, and the goals and interests of Romania at international level are concuring with his belief, stressing, at the same time, that, to a large extent, his diplomat colleagues are righteous professionals. “You know me: I have been going to work every day for the past 18 years and this syntagma includes Saturdays, Sundays, and often even nights. I have walked the diplomat path step by step, from Relations Referent and Attaché to Plenipotentiary Minister. For me, this institution of diplomacy represents my house and home and Romania’s foreign policy objectives and interests at international level are my belief,” said Aurescu.

He said that he has completed his duties the best he could so far and assured that he will continue doing so also from his new position, which “is not a personal reason for joy, but a reason for responsibility and work for Romania’s foreign policy targets and interests”. The new chief of Romanian diplomacy said, however, that MFA cannot be “a weak institution” as it has to contribute to the achievement of Romania’s foreign policy goals.