On an official visit to Kiev, President Klaus Iohannis reaffirmed on Tuesday that Romania firmly supports Ukraine’s rapprochement with the European Union.
The Romanian Head of State was given a traditional welcome on Kiev’s airport. He laid a candle light and a traditional wreath made up of wheat ears at the Monument to the Victims of the Holodomor, a monument that commemorates the victims of the famine that took place in the early 1930s. The Romanian President also rang the bell inside the Holodomor Museum he visited. President Klaus Iohannis then headed to Independence Square, the starting place of the Euromaidan protests, laying a wreath for the victims of the revolution.
Klaus Iohannis then met President Petro Poroshenko at the Presidential Administration. The two heads of state were welcomed by the honour guard and the two anthems were sung. The Romanian President saluted the honour guard in Ukrainian.
Iohannis: Romanian-Ukrainian cooperation is a solid one
“Through my presence in Kiev I wanted to reaffirm the resolve to deepen our relations, and Romania’s firm support for Ukraine’s rapprochement with the European Union. Both Mr. President Poroshenko and myself appreciated the Romanian-Ukrainian cooperation as a solid one. Romania wants to be a partner to Ukraine and share its experience and expertise acquired during the process of preparation of its accession to the European Union and NATO,” Iohannis said in Kiev after the meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.
He mentioned that talks with his Ukrainian counterpart focused on the continuation of domestic reform, particularly by strengthening democracy and the rule of law.
“In this approach we start from a shared commitment, a good neighborly relationship and the existence of a safe and prosperous region. Such an evolution benefits the citizens of Ukraine and the entire region, strengthening stability in this part of Europe. We consider that when political determination is doubled by a real and sincere concern for a good and transparent information of our citizens, challenges can become opportunities,” added the Romanian head of state, quoted by Agerpres.
He reiterated Romania’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
“Such support is evident not only as far as authorities are concerned, but also at the level of the Romanian society and of the public opinion. Romania’s taking up the role of leader of the NATO trust fund for the combat of cyber threats is just one example in this respect,” said Klaus Iohannis.
Poroshenko: Romania, Germany will give medical care to Ukrainian troops
Asked if Ukraine requested military support from Romania, Poroshenko specified that his country has contracts with 11 states of the European Union to providing it with defensive armament, but he said he would give no names in this respect. He added that Ukraine has convened with some European states to receive support for training its troops. In this respect, he announced that Romania and Germany are going to give medical care to the Ukrainian troops.
‘Yesterday in Berlin and today with Mr. President (Iohannis – editor’s note) we have agreed for medical care to be granted to the Ukrainian troops both in Germany and in Romania. We have received today a group of German representatives for certain Ukrainian troops needing treatment and we have agreed that in the near future, we shall receive such a delegation from Romania, too,’ said Poroshenko, during a joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis.
The Kiev leader said Ukraine is an independent, sovereign country which has a sovereign right to improve defensive capabilities of its armed forces.
‘This is not about this conflict, in particular, because we are a country of peace and I’m a president of peace. We want to build a new security system in cooperation with the European Union, because we defend here not only our sovereignty and territorial integrity, but the European freedom, the European democracy, the European values and the European security, and I believe all of the European leaders fully understand this,’ added Petro Poroshenko, quoted by Agerpres.
Iohannis, Poroshenko agree on ethnic minorities
President Klaus Iohannis declared he has agreed with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko on making more visible the ethnic minorities of Romanians in Ukraine and Ukrainians in Romania; he pointed out the need of resuming the activities of governmental mechanisms to this effect.
These ethnic communities ‘should become a cement and a bridge in our relations. Therefore, the relevant governmental mechanisms should resume their activity and approach actual issues,’ Iohannis said after meeting Poroshenko in Kiev on Tuesday.
The Romanian president stressed that all the actions of both countries aim at positive effects as regards the direct contacts between their citizens and at joint economic and cultural projects.
Iohannis: Romania backs the further keeping of the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia
President Klaus Iohannis said that the Minsk package of measures agreed upon in February should be implemented “in full, without delay and unconditionally” and emphasized that Romania backs the further keeping of the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia, “as long as there is no full enforcement of the agreement or if the situation on site continues to deteriorate.”
“During the talks I underscored the importance of the fast and unconditional enforcement of the Minsk package agreed upon on February 12, 2015. The package must be implemented in full, without delay and unconditionally. Romania favors the maintaining of the EU sanctions regime against the Russian Federation, as long as the agreement is not implemented in full, or if the situation on site continues to deteriorate,” said the Romanian head of state in Kiev, after the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.
Iohannis stressed that staying on course with reforms is “the best message on Ukraine’s commitment on the European path.”
In the EU member states, Ukraine has found firm partners that are loyal to the principles of the international treaties which have been violated by the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Maintaining the course of reforms is the best message on Ukraine’s commitment on the European path. To Ukraine, the Association Agreement represents an effective tool whose implementation ensures the alignment, to a large extent, to the acquis communautaire, thus leading to the concrete rapprochement to the EU,” said President Iohannis.
The head of the Romanian state believes that the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga should outline an ambitious, strategic vision of the EU towards the Eastern Neighborhood states.
“Starting from a flexible approach on a medium and long-term, the EU should take into account the European aspirations of the partner countries and the principles of differentiation and own-merit evaluation,” said Iohannis.
Poroshenko: We’ll do everything within our powers to help reintegrating Transnistria into the Republic of Moldova
Ukrainian President declared during the joint press conference that he agreed with his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis on doing everything within their powers to help reintegrating the secessionist Transnistria region into the Republic of Moldova.
‘We have discussed the security situation in the Black Sea basin and in the Republic of Moldovan, namely its Transnistria region. We have agreed to do everything we can (…) so that Transnistria is reintegrated into the Moldovan state,’ Poroshenko said in a joint press conference with Iohannis.
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