Romania is an extremely important partner for Italy – the Italian president Sergio Mattarella said in Bucharest.
Romania is for Italy an extremely important partner at the bilateral, European, and international level and we wish this country join the border-free zone of Schengen including with its ground borders. The statement was made by the Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, during his formal visit to Bucharest, where he was received by the country’s President Klaus Iohannis and the Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu. In turn, Klaus Iohannis hailed the solid ground for the development of the bilateral relations and the multi-domain cooperation with Italy including within the European and Euro-Atlantic frameworks. Trade exchanges between Romania and Italy last year hit 20 billion Euros, the president went on to say adding his appreciation for the aforementioned meeting which is a follow-up of the constant dialogue between the two countries.
At the same time, the head of state hailed the valuable contribution of Italy to the security of the areas neighbouring Romania. He mentioned that both countries would continue to work together with all the allies for strengthening NATO’s role in preventing any kind of war.
Klaus Iohannis: “We tackled our concerns regarding security, caused by the war Russia is waging on Ukraine, with a negative impact on the region and also the entire Euro-Atlantic zone. We are going to work together to strengthen NATO’s role in preventing any type of war and of defending our states, by consolidating its deterrence and defence posture on the eastern flank as well as on the southern flank.”
As for the EU enlargement, the Italian president voiced hope that Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova would join as soon as possible.
Sergio Mattarella also referred to the visit he earlier paid to Chișinău.
Sergio Mattarella: “For us the EU enlargement is indispensable as well as the involvement of the candidate countries. I went to the Republic of Moldova and I reiterated the support for the Republic of Moldova and for Ukraine. We have similar positions regarding the accession process, namely the EU accession of these countries as soon as possible“.
During the talks with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the head of the Italian state underlined the importance of the economic cooperation as a pillar of the bilateral relation. The Romanian-Italian economic cooperation, the common values and the connection between citizens are strengthening the bilateral relations, the Prime Minister went on to say.
A major issue during the talks was that about the Romanians living in Italy, one of the most numerous Romanian communities abroad. In this context, the Prime Minister hailed the support offered by the Italian authorities for the integration of the Romanian community, the observance of rights and the acknowledgement of the benefits it brings to the Italian society.”
Daniela Budu, Radio Romania International
