From a territorial and demographic point of view, Ukraine is Romania\u2019s largest neighbor. From a strategic point of view, analysts say, it is the most important, because hundreds of kilometers of common border separate not just two countries, but also NATO and the EU from the former Soviet space, which the new pro-Western power in Kiev is trying to escape.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
That is why Bucharest has closely monitored past month\u2019s developments in Kiev, from the protests that sparked off the ousting of the former pro-Russian president Viktor Ianukovici to the Russian troops\u2019 invasion of Crimea. On Monday, upon welcoming his Romanian counterpart Titus Corlatean in Kiev, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Descita thanked him for Bucharest\u2019s support for Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity. They signed an agreement on increasing security and confidence building between the two countries. Corlatean was also received by interim president Olexandr Turcinov and Prime Minister Arseni Iateniuk. The Romanian Foreign Minister told our correspondent to Kiev that the message he wanted to convey was that Romania fully supported Ukraine\u2019s European aspirations.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cUkraine needs a firm and well-coordinated support from the international democratic community, from the European and Euro-Atlantic family, therefore from Romania, too, for its territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence and its legitimate right to decide its European future. We hope that through a natural and democratic domestic process, things will settle, and we will be able to take rapid action to boost bilateral cooperation, in fields such as energy security and investment in infrastructure<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corlatean also announced that some of the Ukrainian citizens hospitalized in Bucharest, after being wounded in last month\u2019s street fighting in Kiev would be repatriated. He said that Romania\u2019s support had also materialized in the participation of two observers in the OSCE mission to Crimea. The talks between Corlatean and Descita also focused on the situation of the Romanian community in Ukraine, which numbers over 400 thousand people. Bucharest\u2019s stand on the matter is quite clear:<\/p>\n
\u201c We are expecting a European type of legislation to be passed in the coming period, based on the expertise conducted by the Council of Europe and on consultations with the national minorities in Ukraine, the Romanian minority there<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s stability and territorial integrity also depend on the way in which minority rights are observed, the Romanian Foreign Minister added.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Full support for neighboring Ukraines sovereignty, integrity and European aspirations, this is the message conveyed by the Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-41619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-today-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n