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Ambassador Warnery: Romania enjoys France's support to join Schengen area with land borders
Romania is enjoying France's full support to enter the Schengen area with the land borders as soon as possible, after entering the area with the sea and air borders on March 31, French ambassador in Bucharest Nicolas Warnery said on Friday at a France National Day reception.
He added that this year is important to Europe, mentioning last month's European elections and the opening of accession negotiations to the European Union with Ukraine and Moldova.
"With these accession negotiations, a new chapter in the history of the union begins, which we will write together. The forthcoming summits of the European Political Community in the United Kingdom and Hungary will also allow us to move forward, in a broader format than that of the European Union EU, in defending our common values, for the continuation of the consolidation of Europe," Warnery said.
He added that 2024 is also a key year on Romania's road to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where Romania can count on France's full support.
The ambassador said that, at the end of this month, France is hosting the summer Olympic Games, "a great celebration of sports and friendship between nations, an opportunity to remember the values to which we are attached: peace, fraternity, respect and tolerance."
He added that France wants these games to mark progress in terms of gender equality and for the first time in history an equal number of athletes will participate.
"Let me warmly thank the Romanian Olympic Committee, as well as the Romanian champions who have worked alongside us in recent months to prepare for the games and to promote the Olympic values. I also want to thank the Romanian government for sending a group of police officers and gendarmes to help with the smooth running of this event. Let me wish good luck to all the Romanian athletes who will leave in a few days for Paris."
He also mentioned France's involvement in the security on NATO's eastern flank.
"The service people of the Aigle Force are training thoroughly and are prepared. Let me greet the French soldiers who have been deployed for two and a half years to Romania, and especially those who are with us this evening. I would like to remind you that, only a few weeks ago, a ceremony took place in which the area of the military camp in Cincu where the French soldiers are installed was name General Berthelot Camp. We do not forget history and we are here for the long term. In the face of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the manoeuvres to destabilise the countries in the region, we must remain united and mobilised, standing with Ukraine and Moldova," he said.