Romanian – French Relations
Two weeks after President Iohannis made a visit to Paris, Romania's Foreign Minister also travelled to France.
Roxana Vasile, 24.02.2015, 13:59
The meetings with his counterpart Laurent Fabius and the new Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Ms. Michaelle Jean, and a security conference organised by the Romanian Embassy were the highlights of the visit that Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu paid to Paris. In an interview with the paper Liberation, he said the stability of Ukraine was crucial for its neighbour, Romania. The topic was high on his agenda in Paris.
Bogdan Aurescu: “It is obvious that the moment that triggered the change in the strategic balance in the Black Sea area was the illegal occupation of Crimea, starting last March. The situation worsened after the open conflict had broken out in eastern Ukraine. As far as Romania’s security interest is concerned, it is very important for Ukraine, with which we have a 640-km long border, and which is our largest neighbour and home to a community of nearly half a million Romanians, to remain a stable, predictable, democratic state, able to preserve its unity and territorial integrity, so that Romania’s neighbouring area should be predictable, stable and flourishing.”
Unless the Minsk agreements are observed, the instability in eastern Ukraine might spread to other parts of the country, including areas that are close to Romania, Bogdan Aurescu also told the paper Liberation. In this context, in Bucharest’s view, strengthening the eastern flank of the North-Atlantic Alliance would be welcome. Equally important is the strengthening of the Schengen area, by including Romania, as a security provider in the region and in the EU.
In terms of bilateral relations, Romania and France, which have long-standing cultural, linguistic and historical affinities, are linked by a Strategic Partnership signed in early 2008. To give it fresh impetus, Foreign Ministers Bogdan Aurescu and Laurent Fabius agreed to improve the timetable of political meetings. The French diplomat accepted the invitation to pay a visit to Bucharest, in the context of the celebration this year of 135 years of Romanian-French diplomatic relations.
The two officials also discussed means to diversify joint economic projects and areas of mutual interest, given that France is Romania’s third-largest trade partner, with the annual volume of two-way trade standing at nearly 7 billion euros in 2014 and roughly the same figure in French investments in Romania. Last but not least, Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania’s commitment to carrying on the consolidation and affirmation of the values of the Francophonie. Romania is the host of the regional office of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie for Central and Eastern Europe.
