Romanian Senate Chairman Nicolae Ciuca on Thursday had a meeting in Prague with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, saying that the two countries will take the “test of the election to the European Parliament” on June 9, when “democratic forces must strongly affirm their commitment to Western values.”
“I met in Prague the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, whom I visited at the Government headquarters. We discussed strengthening co-operation between our two countries and ways in which we can cope with geopolitical and economic complications affecting the entire continent. In such periods, solidarity among partner states within the European Union is very important, because only together we have the strength to overcome the most difficult challenges,” Ciuca wrote in a social media post.
He thanked the Czech prime minister for Czech support for Romania’s full accession to the Schengen area and joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OSCE).
Ciuca and a delegation of the Romanian Parliament paid an official visit to Prague on Wednesday and Thursday, at the invitation of his Czech counterpart Milos Vystrcil.
Also on Thursday, Ciuca paid tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Prague, in memory of the soldiers who fought for the freedom of the Czech people.
“I paid tribute to the Czech people’s struggle for freedom at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Vitkov memorial in Prague. The monument has a deep significance for the locals, marking the sacrifices of both world wars. Here are buried soldiers who fought in 1917 for the creation of the Czechoslovak state and Czechs who participated in 1944 in the liberation from Nazi occupation. The hosts look with special emotion at the honour by Romanians of the memory of the heroes who sacrificed themselves for freedom. We stood by this people in all the turning points of the last century.”
Thursday’s schedule also included attending a ceremony for planting an offshoot from Romanian national poet Mihai Eminescu’s linden tree and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in Peace Square.
On Wednesday, the head of the Romanian Senate met President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, and Chairman of the Czech Senate Milos Vystrcil.
The visiting Romanian parliamentary delegation included Roberta Anastase – secretary of the Senate; Nicoleta Pauliuc – chair of the Defence Committee; Lorina-Ioana Seres – chair of the Romanian Agency for Foreign Investment and Trade.