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ForMin Odobescu: Romania strongly supports North Macedonia's goal of EU membership
Romania strongly supports North Macedonia's goal of joining the European Union, foreign affairs minister Luminita Odobescu, who is on a tour of the Western Balkans, said on Wednesday in a joint statement with her counterpart in Skopje, Bujar Osmani.
"We have very strong cultural ties, we share a strong common history and remarkable traditions, all of which add value and substance to the deep relations between our peoples," Odobescu said in Skopje, recalling in this context the communities of Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians.
Luminita Odobescu expressed her appreciation for the participation of North Macedonian soldiers in allied structures on Romanian territory, which represents "a concrete contribution" to strengthening the security of NATO's Eastern flank.
During the visit, Luminita Odobescu signed with her counterpart Bujar Osmani an Action Plan on cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Romania and North Macedonia, which aims to deepen cooperation between the two ministries on European integration and NATO membership, as well as in the field of consular affairs.
The bilateral protocol on cooperation in education for the period 2023-2027 was also signed, which aims to strengthen cooperation in this field, with a focus on the promotion and support of the Romanian language in North Macedonia.
According to MAE, the programme of Luminita Odobescu's visit included meetings with president Stevo Pendarovski, president of the Assembly of North Macedonian Talat Xhaferi, as well as a meeting with the deputy prime minister for European Affairs, Bojan Maricic.
On the occasion of the visit, minister Luminita Odobescu also had a meeting at the Romanian Embassy in Skopje with a group of representatives of the Romanian community in North Macedonia and former students who studied in Romania. She spoke with them about ways to promote the Romanian language in North Macedonia and to support efforts to preserve and affirm the cultural and linguistic identity of the related community in North Macedonia, the press release further informs.