ForMins Bogdan Aurescu, Abdallah Bou Habib talk about developments of Middle East peace process

The overall bilateral relations, the intensification of the political-diplomatic dialogue, the developments and prospects of the Middle East peace process were among the topics addressed during the meeting of Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Lebanese Republic Abdallah Bou Habib.

The bilateral meeting took place on Sunday in Barcelona, on the sidelines of the participation in the 6th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean and in the EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informed in a press release sent to AGERPRES.

The two heads of the Romanian and Lebanese diplomacy reviewed the overall bilateral relations, emphasizing their very good level, which is based on lasting historical ties, as well as the Romanian community in Lebanon, and the Lebanese one in Romania, respectively. The Romanian Foreign Minister addressed congratulations for the formation of the new Lebanese government - an important step towards stabilizing the country, according to the MAE.

At the same time, Bogdan Aurescu underlined the need to intensify the political-diplomatic dialogue, including by setting a sustained rhythm of contacts. In this regard, he gladly accepted the invitation extended by his counterpart to pay an official visit to Beirut.

The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister also pointed out the importance of intensifying cooperation in sectoral areas of common interest, given the high potential of this relationship. In this context, the head of the Romanian diplomacy reminded that the Lebanese investments are the most substantial among the Arab investments in Romania and stressed the usefulness of stimulating trade.

Recalling the difficult situation facing Lebanon, the Romanian official stressed that, for Romania, the economic and political consolidation of this state is very important, said the cited source.

The two ministers also discussed co-operation in the fields of defense, emergencies and education. Regarding the latter, the large number of Lebanese students who have studied and are studying in Romania was noted and concrete ways to improve bilateral cooperation in the field were examined. At the same time, the two officials appreciated the very good cooperation within the international organizations and agreed to continue and deepen it.

Ministers Aurescu and Bouhabib also discussed the importance of intensifying the EU-Lebanon dialogue, with the Romanian Foreign Minister expressing Romania's full openness to support this goal, including to stimulate EU assistance for Lebanon.

The two senior officials addressed in detail the developments and prospects of the Syrian case, of the Middle East Peace Process, of the situation in Yemen and Iraq, respectively.

The Romanian Foreign Minister expressed appreciation for Lebanon's special efforts to manage a large number of Syrian refugees on its territory and highlighted Romania's support to ease their situation, the MAE statement also said.