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ForMin Odobescu in Davos condemns Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports
Foreign Affairs minister Luminita Odobescu in Davos on Thursday reiterated her firm condemnation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, reaffirming Romania's "unwavering" support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the MAE reads in a press release.
Odobescu participated in the panel on "Russia: what's next?" at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Romanian chief diplomat denounced the "massive" and "repeated" Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians and critical Ukrainian infrastructure, "which represent war crimes". Odobescu also pointed out the risks that these attacks, especially those targeting port infrastructure, pose to regional security, respectively to Romania's security.
On the sidelines of her participating in the World Economic Forum, minister Odobescu had a bilateral meeting with the Special Representative of the United States of America for the reconstruction of Ukraine, Penny Pritzker, whom she had an in-depth exchange of views with on Kiev's short, medium and long-term needs.
"They agreed on the special importance of international involvement in Ukraine's reconstruction process to ensure resilience and sustainable economic development of the Ukrainian state," the MAE says.
Luminita Odobescu presented the projects started by Romania for the development of cross-border infrastructure between Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, underlining the relevance of cross-border infrastructure projects to facilitate international investments in Ukraine's reconstruction.
According to MAE, the United States Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine emphasized Romania's role as a future logistics and supply platform for international projects and investments in Ukraine.
On the occasion of participating in the World Economic Forum, minister Odobescu also had a meeting with the minister of Trade, Industry and Investment Promotion of the Sultanate of Oman, Qais Mohammed Moosa Al Yousef.
Odobescu has also discussed with the new president of the European Investment Bank, Nadia Calvino, in view of her visit to Bucharest.
On Wednesday, she spoke about the support Romania is giving to the Western Balkans countries in terms of their European path, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs in a press release.
She had an intervention in the session devoted to the Western Balkans region - "Diplomacy Dialogue on the Western Balkans?". Odobescu stressed the need to respect and promote the fundamental values of the Union, as well as the importance of full alignment with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, which is particularly relevant in the current context of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine.
Odobescu also addressed the objective of economic convergence of this region with the EU, evoking the role of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, recently presented by the European Commission.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Special Representative of the European Union for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans Miroslav Lajcak, as well as regional leaders and personalities with extensive knowledge of regional realities attended the session.
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Minister Odobescu also met with Ann Mettler, Vice President for Europe of the Breakthrough Energy Foundation, an organisation active in the area of energy security.
The discussion focused on topical issues related to combating climate change through a fair and efficient energy transition. The topics discussed included ways to promote renewable energy sources, support for de-carbonisation activities, resources for financing green projects and investment opportunities for such projects in Romania, research and innovation in the energy sector, the role of civil nuclear energy in the energy transition and the stage of development of this sector in Romania.
The World Economic Forum in Davos is one of the most prestigious platforms for international dialogue. This year's edition is attended by some 3,000 leaders and experts from around the world: presidents of states, prime ministers, ministers, representatives of major international bodies, organisations and institutions, members of academia and the media, and civil society.
This year, the World Economic Forum has as its central theme "Rebuilding trust" and aims at a broad exchange of views, structured around the following debate modules: security and cooperation in a fractured world, economic growth and labour market development in a new era, artificial intelligence to support economy and society, long-term strategies for climate, nature and energy.
(Photo: www.mae.ro)