Foreign Ministry's Ciamba speaks in Berlin about Romania's legitimate Schengen bid

Secretary of State for Euro-Atlantic bilateral and strategic affairs with Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) George Ciamba on Wednesday held consultations in Berlin with his German counterpart Andreas Michaelis, Secretary of State with the Federal Foreign Affairs Ministry, speaking on this occasion about Romania's "legitimate goal to join the Schengen Area."

The Romanian official's visit to Berlin took place in the context of the works, June 12 - 13, of the 21st session of the Joint governmental commission on Romania's ethnic Germans affairs, which Ciamba attended in his capacity as co-chairman, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a release.

George Ciamba welcomed on this occasion the bilateral agreement on the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia, specifically the 'Republic of Northern Macedonia', underscoring that this historic step is essential for the current international context in South-Eastern Europe. As regards the future of Europe, the Romanian official voiced "Romania's firm commitment, as a EU member state with a deeply pro-European approach and future holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, to strengthening the European project.

With regard to the Western Balkans, a major subject on the agenda of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council, the Romanian Secretary of State emphasized the importance of continuing the EU enlargement process and the positive role of this policy in speeding up reform in the states of the region. Ciamba also emphasized Romania's interest, as a state located in the immediate vicinity of the Western Balkans and therefore directly interested in developments in the region, to be connected to the Berlin Process initiative.

George Ciamba underscored the importance of the Black Sea region from the perspective of identifying sectoral cooperation goals, against the background of preparations for the Presidency of the EU Council and also as regards security, pointing out the region's strategic role for Romania, the EU and NATO as well.

Regarding the EU Eastern neighborhood George Ciamba said that the Republic of Moldova is a permanent priority of Romania's foreign policy and emphasized the importance of this country's carrying on with reform and on its European track, stressing that EU support is essential particularly in the current international context, the Foreign Ministry also said.