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Luxembourgish PM Xavier Bettel: We are not partners only on paper, but in reality too
Romania and Luxembourg are not "partners only on paper," but also in reality, said, on Tuesday, Luxembourgish Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, during a joint press conference with President Klaus Iohannis, at the military base in Cincu.
He reiterated the support that his country gives to Romania in terms of Schengen accession.
He also noted the support that the Romanians gave to the Ukrainians.
"Thank you and a big thank you to your people," he said. Bettel showed that there are 26 Luxembourgish soldiers at Cincu right now, part of the Battle Group, which is the largest detachment of soldiers from his country.
Before the joint press conference, Bettel adressed the troops in the Battle Group. "Luxembourg may be a small partner, but it's a trustful partner," he underscored.
Bettel also spoke about the importance of peace.
"We know that peace, which we often take for granted, and I mean now our generation, is not something that is guaranteed for us. I am here now, on the territory of a country whose citizens know what it means to be able to choose. Your generation, Mr. Klaus, did not grow in a free country, and the fact that you share the European values, the fact that you are in the European Union, and the fact that you fight for human rights and mobility is what we have in common," said the Luxembourgish official.
Further on, while referring to Russia's war against Ukraine, the Luxembourgish PM argued that "not to react, not to be in solidarity, not to fight together would mean accepting that the one who is the strongest always has the right to decide what is best for its neighbour."
The Luxembourgish Prime Minister referred to the history of his country. "I come from a country where on two different occasions the neighbours decided what was good for us. We must not forget that the reason why I am standing before you today and am free is that other soldiers came to our aid in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in the Second World War. And we have a cemetery of American soldiers who didn't even know where our country was on the map, but came to fight for us," Bettel confessed.
In turn, President of Romania Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday at the military base at Cincu, after a meeting visiting Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel, that the presence of the Luxembourgish troops is a strong signal of Luxembourg's support for enhancing Romania's security.
"The presence of the Luxembourgish troops is a strong signal of the solidarity support of this NATO member state for enhancing Romania's security amidst a dramatic deterioration of the security situation in our neighbourhood," said Iohannis.
The head of state welcomed the "special quality of the relationships between Romania and Luxembourg," pointing out that their political and diplomatic dialogue has lately been close.
Iohannis also said that the in-depth discussions with Bettel reconfirmed the convergent objectives within NATO and the European Union.
"Thus, we discussed security developments and strongly condemned Russia's recent escalation of attacks in the Danube Delta and Black Sea. We reconfirmed Romania's multidimensional support for Ukraine, which will continue for as long as it takes. I reiterated Romania's commitment to further contribute to facilitating the transit of Ukrainian grain," said Iohannis.
He went on to say that the bilateral dialogue "highlighted the common objective of the two countries in favour of a stronger and more resilient European Union, a union of values in which citizens can trust, which provides stability and is prepared to meet the challenges of the future." At the same time, Iohannis said that the two countries will continue to work together to achieve this goal.
"At the same time, we maintain our support for the expansion of the European Union both in the region of the Western Balkans and in the Eastern neighbourhood. Romania will act firmly for a decision at the level of the European Council regarding the opening of negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova."
Iohannis added that he thanked Bettel for the strong and constant support expressed by Luxembourg in favour of Romania's accession to the Schengen Area.
President Iohannis also thanked him for "Luxembourg's open attitude towards the Romanian community in the Grand Duchy" that is well integrated and contributes to the economic development of the host country and to strengthening the ties between the two countries.