Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Tuesday that he and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed to start intergovernmental discussions for a joint action plan on subjects of strategic interest to be worked out.
“We intend to start discussions between the two governments with a view to setting in place a joint action plan on subjects of strategic interest and of a permanent dialogue format that will allow us to reach our targets. Raising our diplomatic relations to a strategic level represents an important moment for our bilateral cooperation. We will thus be able to further develop the ties between Romania and Germany in all areas of common interest. I would like to thank Chancellor Scholz for the support offered to this endeavor,” Ciolacu, who is on a working visit to Berlin, told a joint press conference with Scholz.
He specified that several major topics were on the agenda of the discussions, both at bilateral and at European level.
“We discussed economic cooperation and how we can jointly develop both the trade and the investment component, using European resources as well,” Ciolacu explained.
According to the prime minister, Germany is Romania’s main commercial partner.
“There is an enormous development potential between the two countries and we identified new ways for working together to cover new markets. For example, two important directions are the active participation in Ukraine’s reconstruction process or supporting the development of the Republic Moldova. In this train of thought, I want to reiterate our full support to Ukraine in these difficult times. We must continue to provide Ukraine with all the necessary support and I welcome the efforts made by the German government with whom we work very well in this area. I also express our backing for the start, within the shortest time, of EU accession negotiations both for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova,” Marcel Ciolacu said.
The head of the Romanian Executive stressed that Romania is “a serious, reliable and stable actor on the eastern flank and can play an active role in the Black Sea region in order to promote our joint agenda”.
He also mentioned that the prerequisites are in place for Romania to be an energy hub.
“We have lots of resources of our own, but also energy projects, which ensure Romania a decisive role in the stability of the region. This provides important opportunities for German companies. At the same time, Romania has a significant potential in agriculture and construction, two fields for which we recently developed additional support measures,” the prime minister also declared.
Ciolacu added that the defense industry is another important component, where several joint projects have already started, in coordination with the European Union and NATO.
“I’d like to inform you that tomorrow I will sit down with representatives of the Romanian-German business environment, but also of the German defense industry. Moreover, in September we are going to organize a Romanian-German business forum in Berlin, where I hope that we will be represented at the highest level,” Ciolacu mentioned.
The prime minister also dwelled on the role of the Romanian community in Germany and of the ethnic German community in Romania, which bring added value to bilateral relations.
“I welcome the support offered by the German government for the Romanians in Germany and I assure you that the Executive I represent works closely with all the minorities who live in Romania. I am glad that we have German minority deputy, Mr. Ovidiu Gant, accompanying us on our delegation,” Ciolacu said.
He thanked Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the support offered for Romania’s Schengen accession.
“Germany has proven that it is a true friend of Romania. We discussed how we can overcome this unjustified blockade, which, in our opinion, directly affects European unity. We count on Germany’s support for overcoming this moment,” Ciolacu concluded. AGERPRES