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ForMin Bogdan Aurescu starts today an official visit to Israel and Palestine
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu will pay an official visit to Israel and Palestine on Wednesday and Thursday, where he will meet with the prime ministers of the governments of the two states and his counterparts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) announces in a press release .
Minister Aurescu's visit to Israel includes consultations with Foreign Minister Gabriel Ashkenazi and meetings with President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benjamin Gantz, Minister of Regional Cooperation Ofir Akunis, and the leader of the opposition and of the Yesh Atid-Telem party in the Knesset, Yair Lapid.
The talks with the Israeli officials will focus on ways to develop and deepen the bilateral relations, of a strategic nature, between the two states, with emphasis on the political, economic and security fields, for the benefit of Romania and the State of Israel.
At the same time, officials will discuss in depth developments in the region, especially the latest developments within the Middle East Peace Process.
In Palestine, the schedule of the visit will include consultations with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riad Malki, and meetings with Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Ahmed Majdalani, the Minister of Labor and Social Development.
The discussions will focus on the development and diversification of Romanian-Palestinian bilateral relations and ways to strengthen cooperation, as a concrete contribution to the institutional construction and development of Palestine.
Officials will also address issues related to the latest events on the regional and security agenda, focusing on the prospects for the Middle East Peace Process.
"We are at an extremely dynamic time in terms of developments in the Middle East. We have had an open and in-depth dialogue in recent months with both my Israeli counterpart, Gabriel Ashkenazi, as well as with my Palestinian counterpart, Riad Malki, in accordance with Romania's traditional stance, which has friendly and trusting relations with both parties," says Aurescu as quoted in the release.
According to him, the discussion with the Israeli counterpart will also address the start of the preparation of the third joint meeting of the two Governments, "based on the excellent state of Romanian-Israeli relations, of strategic importance, consolidated during the over seven decades of uninterrupted diplomatic relations."
"In Palestine, I will highlight the interest in continuing and deepening our cooperation, including in generating the necessary substance for the proper organization of the next meeting of the bilateral Intergovernmental Committee," Aurescu said.
The Romanian Minister states that he will support, both in Israel and in Palestine, "Romania's constant position in support of a lasting solution generated by the Peace Process, based on the solution of the two states, that can coexist in peace and security, as the only viable option to meet the aspirations of both parties."