Romania will continue to support Ukraine on all levels, as long as it is needed, said Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at the summit of the Three Seas Initiative, held in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius. High representatives of the United States of America, Germany, Japan, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova also participated in this political platform aimed to stimulate cooperation between the 13 countries in the east of the European Union. In this framework, the Romanian president pleaded for the continuation of efforts to render the initiative even more effective and for the improvement of regional strategic connectivity on the North-South axis.
Iohannis also had a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, whom he assured of Bucharest’s continued support in the fight against the Russian invasion.
Klaus Iohannis: “We want to use the opportunities that have been created to further facilitate collaboration. You know very well that we help Ukraine in every possible way. Perhaps the most visible is the export of agricultural products from Ukraine through Romania. I think I am not exaggerating when I say that if it were not for this export through Romania, there would have been huge problems not only in Ukraine, but also where these agricultural products are exported. On the other hand, of course, humanitarian aid is still very important, but military aid is also relevant for Ukraine.”
The Romanian president also mentioned the future Romania-Ukraine security agreement, a document that is in the drafting phase and which he said will create a better framework for collaboration between the two states. Iohannis also stressed the importance of connecting the entire eastern flank of NATO and the EU by road and rail, which will ensure the connection between the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, projects that, he said, are particularly important to Romania. He also spoke about the strategic partners of the initiative, which now also includes Japan, and this, the president believes, is evidence of the increased global interest in the Three Seas Initiative.
The President of Romania also explained why our country spent last year only 1.6% of the Gross Domestic Product on defense, instead of 2.5%, as originally allocated. He pointed out that this target was not reached because of inflation, budget difficulties, as well as the global arms crisis. In the final communiqué of the Vilnius summit, the participants reaffirmed their determination to increase pressure on Russia, „including by strengthening sanctions and their full and firm implementation to end the war of aggression”. The next Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, the 10th, will take place next year in Poland.
(Sorin Iordan, Radio Romania International)
