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President Klaus Iohannis met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated Thursday that he wants to reach a peace agreement with the State of Israel, but for this the Israeli side must make critical decisions.
Our hands are held out for the solution of a peace built on justice and truth. We are against violence and extremism, regardless of its origins. Maintaining the current situation is not bearable. We want to make peace, security and good neighbourhood between us and the State of Israel, but this requires decisive commitments from the Israeli side and the immediate end of colonization, violent action and aggression perpetrated by colonists, Mahmoud Abbas said in the joint press conference with President Klaus Iohannis, who is visiting Ramallah as part of his state visit to Israel and Palestine.
President Abbas also stated he appreciates EU efforts in supporting peace.
In his turn, President Iohannis stated that aspirations of the Palestinian people can only materialize by means of a peaceful process. "We believe the most important matter to be tackled right now is identifying means to rebuild trust among the two parties. The legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian state to live in security and prosperity in their own state can only materialize through a peaceful process, through solutions that can be accepted and assumed by both parties," the Romanian head of state said.
According to Iohannis, talks with his Palestinian counterpart tackled the main regional issues, with an accent on the Syrian crisis, the situation of Palestinian refugees in Syria and their impact on neighboring countries.
"I expressed my opinion that in crisis and conflict areas, political solutions and joint efforts are needed to offer more hope to the population. Radicalization, terrorism, inter-ethnic conflicts or inter-sectarian conflicts can only be eradicated by means of measures of social and political inclusion, education and the creation of conditions for economic development. The fact that we are here together is a signal that we have serious projects and that we are partners in a common effort to create a better future for our people," Iohannis added.
Romanian institutions and companies should get involved in Palestine's reconstruction, President Klaus Iohannis declared on Thursday.
"Romania and Palestine share a longstanding friendship. We are fully convinced there are outstanding prospects of enhancing our cooperation in various fields: economic exchanges, agriculture, healthcare, finance, home affairs, energy, water management and infrastructure. We want the Romanian institutions and companies involved in the efforts of reconstructing Palestine's institutions and economy. We think a fully functional state needs strong institutions. For us, the contribution to the consolidation of Palestinian institutions is circumscribed to the support we want to give to the materialization of the two-state solution, coexisting in peace and security," Iohannis said in a joint press conference with Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas. Iohannis appreciated his counterpart as "a distinctive political voice and an outstanding personality of the Palestinian people."
President Iohannis mentioned that the third session of the Romania-Palestine Inter-governmental Committee, expected this year, will occasion direct contacts between ministries and allow expert teams to identify new ways of cooperation and action methods for the near future.
President Abbas invited Romanian and Palestinian business people to invest in both countries and voiced his confidence in the consolidation of bilateral relation, to the mutual benefit of both friendly nations.
The two officials discussed the role of Palestinian people who get degrees in Romania. President Iohannis promised that Romania will keep offering training to Palestine's public officers.
"For us, human contacts are vital for deepening the bilateral relation. Romania will continue to organize training courses in emergency medicine and diplomacy, and transfers of expertise in other fields for Palestinian public officers," he mentioned.
President Abbas thanked Romania for the grants to Palestinian students, which have strengthened the personal relations between the two countries. The graduates from Romania contributed with their knowledge to the consolidation of the bases of the Palestinian state, he said.
Before the official talks, President Iohannis laid a wreath at the mausoleum of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.