President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Friday in Timisoara that after his three-day state visit to Romania, he returns to Berlin strongly impressed by the fact that not only Bucharest is developing, but all the regions of our country, including Timisoara.
The German president underlined that in the discussions he had with Bucharest officials he expressed the opinion that Romania should join the Schengen area as soon as possible.
“I am impressed that not only Bucharest, the capital, but also other regions, such as Timisoara, are developing, you can see how the country and German companies, which have discovered this for a long time, are progressing. (…) We talked about the Schengen issue on the first day of the visit, in Bucharest, in the official discussion. Not only I but also the entire leadership of the Federal Republic of Germany are of the same opinion that Romania’s joining the Schengen area should happen as soon as possible,” said Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
President Steinmeier also stated that bilateral Romanian-German relations must be further intensified, both politically, culturally and militarily, in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
“We had many political security talks here (…). The entire NATO eastern flank is strengthened, something that gladdens me, as a result of the efforts to strengthen security, safety in Europe, together with Romania,” Steinmeier pointed out.
In Sibiu, the German head of state was impressed by the incredible proof that Romania has received many people of German nationality, which has become, over time, a bridge between Germany and Romania.
The last stage of the high official’s visit to Romania was the European Capital of Culture 2023, Timisoara, where he noted that the cultural act is much more accessible than in other countries in the east of the European Union. In this regard, Steinmeier stressed the willingness to invest in culture, locally, in this region where people of different ethnicities and religions live together for centuries, and this cooperation must continue.
The German president had a meeting with the Jewish community in Timisoara, at the Cetate (Citadel) Synagogue, which is the second largest synagogue in Romania.
“This shows how large the Jewish community in Timisoara was. From the 1930s, when there were over 30,000 Jews, today there are only 600. We have had discussions with the Jewish and German communities about discrimination and how close the cooperation aimed at condemning anti-Semitic actions is. Both sides have initiated legislation to have the Holocaust taught regularly in schools. (…). It was a visit with everything, with different impressions about politics, business and culture. I return to Germany with rich impressions and I am sure that it is not just this state visit that is important, but also that we must continue to develop relations between Germany and Romania,” said president Steinmeier.AGERPRES