President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday said that Romania plans to become an exporter of energy security in the region, showing that Portuguese companies have voiced their intention to invest in Romania in this area.
Iohannis received at the Cotroceni Palace his Portuguese counterpart, Anibal Cavaco Silva, who is currently paying an official visit to Romania. After their meeting, the two held a joint press conference.
Iohannis pointed out, after meeting Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva, that Portugal represents a very important partner of Romania.
“Portugal is a very important partner of Romania and two of the areas where this is best reflected are the economic and defence areas. An important role for strengthening our relations is also held by the community of over 40,000 Romanians living in Portugal, about which we can say it represents a connecting bridge between our countries. They are well integrated in the Portuguese society and they contribute to the development of Portugal. We appreciate the support granted by the Portuguese authorities to the social inclusion of the community of Romanians living and working in Portugal,” the head of state said.
He underscored that the dynamics of the relations between Romania and Portugal has significantly grown over the recent years and that the discussions with the Portuguese President were aimed at the bilateral relations, at the collaboration within the EU and NATO and at the challenges of the current geopolitical context.
President Iohannis also said that, alongside his Portuguese counterpart, he has tried to identify “the most efficient means to develop the bilateral relations.”
“In the economic area, important steps have been made, including recently. Early this month Lisbon hosted the Invest in Romania Forum and tomorrow, as part of this visit, the Romanian-Portuguese Business Forum opens. Romania plans to become an energy security exporter in the region and Portuguese companies have already voiced their intention to invest in Romania in this field. We agreed that Romania and Portugal continue the cooperation in the political-military area and have a closer coordination inside the EU,” the head of state said.
He underscored that the partnership in the political-military area has materialised within NATO in the form of several projects under the Smart Defence initiative aegis, but also within the EU, in the programme of the European Air Transport Fleet. Moreover, Iohannis reminded that Romania purchased in 2013 F16 multirole aircraft from Portugal.
Iohannis mentioned he also discussed with his Portuguese counterpart about the future of the EU, the economic developments and the energy security. He pointed out that “given the fact that both Portugal and Romania are states at the EU borders,” they had a more thorough opinion exchange on the topics of migration and on the European vicinity policy, with its two dimensions, eastern and southern, as well as on the terrorism prevention and combating.
“I am convinced that strengthening the relations between Romania and Portugal is equally beneficial to our countries and to Europe and that today we have made important steps for the development of our partnership,” Iohannis concluded, according to Agerpres.
President Iohannis: We need to harmonize Presidency’s and PM’s views on foreign policy
“We need to harmonize the manners in which foreign affairs are conducted by the Presidency, on the one hand, and by the Prime Minister, on the other hand, President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday, before stressing that Romania knows very well who its friends are.
When asked his opinion about the Prime Minister’s ‘exit’ from the country, Iohannis replied:
‘I am relatively new in this office, since December 22, 2014, and that’s why I believe that we need a harmonization between the manners in which the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s office understand to approach the foreign policy. However, beyond this need for harmonization, I can assure you that Romania’s foreign policy is and will remain a coherent one, for we know very well who our friends are, such as, for instance, Portugal, and there is no danger related to the manner in which Romania treats its friends and partners,’ said Iohannis, after his meeting with the Portuguese counterpart.
In his turn, when asked if, in his opinion, ‘the political crisis in Romania’ affects the economic relations between the two countries, the Portuguese President, Anibal Cavaco Silva, said he doesn’t comment upon the foreign policy issues of the countries he pas visits to, although, in his opinion, institutions function very well in Romania.
‘There is a principle that governs relations between countries. A visiting head of state doesn’t comment upon the foreign policy issues of the country he is visiting. What I can notice is that the democratic institutions in Romania function very well,’ said Anibal Cavaco Silva.
Portuguese President bestowed Star of Romania Order
President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday has signed the Decree on the decoration of his Portuguese counterpart, Anibal Cavaco Silva, the Presidential Administration informed on Wednesday.
According to the source, “in high appreciation for his outstanding contribution to the development of the friendship and collaboration relations between Romania and the Portuguese Republic,” the head of state has bestowed the Star of Romania National Order in Rank of Collar to the President of the Portuguese Republic, Anibal Cavaco Silva.
The decoration was proposed by the Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu.
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