President Iohannis: We strongly support opening of EU accession negotiations with Albania and Rep. of North Macedonia

Romania supports the aspirations of countries wishing to join the European Union and "strongly" supports the opening of negotiations with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia, President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday at the annual meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Bucharest, Agerpres reports.

"We see all around us - in the Western Balkans, in the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine - at the citizens' level, the same aspirations that supported, decades ago, Romania's effort to join the European Union. Romania strongly supports these aspirations. At the same time, we strongly support the opening of accession negotiations with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia," the head of state said at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

Iohannis maintained that it was "in our European interest to extend the area of prosperity, democracy and stability to those states that respect and assume common European values."

In this context, the President stated that "as a top priority of Romania's foreign policy, our country will continue to actively support the European integration efforts of the Republic of Moldova and the pro-democratic reform program, based on the Strategic Partnership for European Integration of the Republic of Moldova established on the community of language, history and culture".

At the same time, the head of state added that "for Romania, settling the protracted conflicts in the region, peacefully and sustainably, according to international law remains a matter of strategic interest".