Romania is a contributor to transatlantic security, the security of the Eastern Flank and that of the region where we are located, President Nicusor Dan said on Tuesday in his address delivered at Cotroceni Presidential Palace to the diplomatic corps on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy (RADR).

The head of state said Romanian diplomacy has three objectives: strengthening security, Romanian communities abroad and economic diplomacy. "We have made more progress on some than on others. This year will be better," the President said.

Regarding security, Nicusor Dan pointed out that Romania has sought to strengthen its role within multilateral formats.

"Regarding security, in our actions this year we have sought to strengthen our role within the multilateral security frameworks of which we are part. And the message is that Romania is a contributor to transatlantic security, a contributor to the security of the Eastern Flank and of the more limited region in which we are located. As I have said, an important and, I would say, ambitious presence in the multilateral frameworks of which we are part," the President stressed.

He brought to mind that this year Bucharest hosted the B9 Summit, attended by the NATO Secretary General, with representatives of the United States and Ukraine, and that following the high-level meeting an important declaration was issued ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara.

At the same time, President Dan underscored that Romania is part of several formats, including the Eastern Flank format within the European Union, the Helsinki format, participates in the Board of Peace and is actively involved in the Coalition of the Willing.

The head of state also said that the partnership with the United States is very important for Romania.

"In my view, we have made progress here and, beyond the security partnership, which is progressing, we want a stronger economic presence of American companies in Romania," Nicusor Dan said.

Referring to hybrid threats, including both the kinetic dimension and cyber threats and disinformation, he said there had been "greater or lesser progress, but these issues must continue to be part of our concerns."

Regarding relations with the European Union, Nicusor Dan referred to major decisions concerning the Multiannual Financial Framework.

"We hope to have a European budget for 2028-2034 by the end of this year. And here I would like to point out that Romania coordinated the joint statement of the 'Friends of Cohesion' group, 16 states acting together, understanding that they have common interests regarding the architecture of the future European budget," he stressed.

Nicusor Dan reiterated Romania's support for the integration of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as the countries of the Western Balkans.

"We are also interested in being contributors when it comes to hybrid pressure, a phenomenon that is relatively new in part, where it is important for us to work together to find the best solutions," he said.

The President said that Romania wants the war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible and for there to be a lasting peace in the region.

He also pointed out that relations with the Republic of Moldova remain extremely important for Romania's foreign policy.

The head of state said the Black Sea is important for Romania's security and for Europe's security, as well as being important in the longer term for economic relations with the Caspian region and Asia more broadly.

"We have made progress on the European maritime security hub. We will begin exploitation at Neptun Deep next year. We are making progress on energy interconnections with countries in the region and each of these instruments is part of our security policy," he said.

Nicusor Dan also spoke in his address about Romania's accession to the OECD.

"Thanks to the efforts of many people, we have met all 25 technical condition groups and we are awaiting the political decision on accession shortly," he said.

He also addressed relations with the International Organisation of La Francophonie and described Dacian Ciolos as "a very good candidate for the position of Secretary General."

Regarding Romanian communities abroad, Nicusor Dan referred to important progress in relations with Ukraine, with consequences for the Romanian minority there.

"Ukraine has begun celebrating 31 August as Romanian Language Day this year and I believe that the tensions or concerns regarding Romanian-language schooling have largely dissipated. The presence of diplomatic staff in Romanian communities is important here, particularly in countries where we have large Romanian communities, and it is important to optimise consular services," the head of state said.

Regarding economic diplomacy, Nicusor Dan said there were opportunities emerging from the agreements signed by the European Union with Mercosur, India, Indonesia, Australia and other important markets.

"So, there will be opportunities in these areas and it is important to have dialogue between Romanian state-owned companies, Romanian private companies and Romanian diplomacy, so that we can optimise both the presence of Romanian companies in these markets and the attraction of capital to Romania," the President stressed. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Ghita; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)

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