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Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, în visit to Bucharest
Interim Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca had a meeting on Wednesday with Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, on the occasion of the latter's visit to Bucharest, in which context he reiterated that Romania will continue to be "an active and vocal supporter" of the Republic of North Macedonia throughout its EU accession process.
According to a Government release, issues related to the bilateral relation, the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU and cooperation within NATO were addressed on this occasion.
"The talks reconfirmed the very good stage of the bilateral relations, as well as the prospects for their consolidation, with emphasis on the high potential for cooperation in the economic area," the release reads.
Regarding the European agenda, the Interim Prime Minister Ciuca reaffirmed Romania's position in support of the enlargement policy, a key policy of the EU, with real transformative power and with benefits regarding stability and security in the direct proximity.
"Romania will continue to be an active and vocal supporter of the Republic of North Macedonia throughout its European path," the Interim Prime Minister said.
In this sense, the quoted release says, Romania will support the opportuneness of organising, as soon as possible, an EU-North Macedonia Intergovernmental Conference on the beginning of the negotiations for this country's accession to the European Union.
Moreover, Nicolae Ciuca welcomed the formal accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO and evoked the prospects of a closer cooperation within the Alliance.
At the same time, the interim prime minister has voiced his hope that, once the difficulties related to the pandemic are overcome, the economic and trade exchanges between the two states will be consolidated and expanded.
Romania has been a constant and firm supporter of the North Atlantic aspirations of the Republic of North Macedonia, Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Wednesday at a joint press conference alongside his Macedonian counterpart, Bujar Osmani.
"Romania has been a constant and firm supporter of the North Atlantic aspirations of the Republic of North Macedonia, being one of the first allies to ratify its NATO accession protocol in February 2019. We anticipate a very close collaboration in the coming period," Aurescu said.
The head of Romanian diplomacy also addressed the issue of EU integration in the Western Balkans.
"As regards the European agenda, we have reaffirmed Romania's clear, firm position of supporting the enlargement policy, which is a key policy of the European Union, with a real power of transformation and benefits in terms of expanding the area of stability and security in the immediate vicinity. In this context, we reiterated Romania 's full readiness to provide bilateral assistance in the context of preparations for the opening of accession negotiations," Bogdan Aurescu said.
In this context, his counterpart also spoke about Romania's support.
"I, personally, as a representative of the government, but also as a country, are very grateful for the principled and continuous support that Romania offers us for our European integration. This support is a continuity also in relation to our European integration, Romania being among the first states to ratify the accession agreement of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO," said Osmani, according to the official translation.
He said that Minister Aurescu assured him "with regard to Romania's unchanged position and support for the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia as a full member of the European Union".
The official from North Macedonia stressed that Romania, as a country in the immediate vicinity of the Western Balkans, "not only has a direct interest in the development and European integration of its vicinity, but is an excellent connoisseur of relations between the states in the region."
In this regard, he said, the European integration of his country is important for the stability of the Western Balkans.