Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean on Tuesday received, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs MFA headquarters, Philippe Gustin, Ambassador of the French Republic to Bucharest, on a farewell visit, reads an MFA press release.
Minister Corlatean conveyed his appreciation and extended thanks for the role Ambassador Gustin played in the development of the bilateral relationship.
The two interlocutors mentioned the progress and positive dynamic of the bilateral relationship, characterized, at a political level, by a sustained pace of high-level contacts. In 2013, for instance, there were two visits at prime minister level: the visit of the Romanian Prime Minister in France on 20 and 21 February 2013, followed by the French Prime Minister’s visit to Romania on 11 and 12 July 2013. Besides, there were many ministerial visits and bilateral contacts, including the Romanian Foreign Minister’s visit to Paris on 11 June 2013 – an aspect attesting to the substance and level of the cooperation between Romania and France.
The interlocutors underscored the fact that both the political dynamics of the bilateral relationship and the rhythm and substance of sectorial cooperation showed in the adoption, on 21 February 2013, of the Roadmap of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and France. Both parties voiced their satisfaction with the fulfillment of the document, several objectives having been attained, such as the inauguration of the Anna de Noailles French High School in Bucharest.
Satisfaction was expressed with the substantial economic cooperation between the two countries, as France is Romania’s third biggest trade partner, and bilateral commercial exchanges have reached record amounts in recent years, as well as qualitative leaps, despite the general economic circumstances in Europe.
Since developing the relationship with France continues to be a priority for Romania, the head of Romanian diplomacy set forth the interest of the Romanian side in deepening the cooperation on a European level. Speaking of the need to pay a greater deal of attention to developments in Southeastern Europe and in the Eastern neighbourhood of the European Union, Minister Titus Corlatean assured the French party of the full availability of Romanian diplomacy concerning dialogue on these dossiers.
