Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday will participate in the informal meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the EU member states, which will take place as a videoconference.

According to a press release sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) to AGERPRES, at the meeting, in the current affairs sections, the European ministers and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will have an exchange of views on current issues: the result of the US presidential election, the situation in Belarus, Nagorno-Karabakh, the result of the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova (point introduced at the initiative of Romania) and the local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the situation in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya.

The agenda for the meeting includes a debate on multilateralism, as well as a videoconference discussion with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh of Malki.

At the point dedicated to current affairs, Minister Bogdan Aurescu will express his support for strengthening the partnership between the European Union and the United States of America, given that only by strengthening the Transatlantic relation can the current and future global challenges be managed effectively. He will also recall Romania's constant position on the importance of strengthening the Transatlantic relation, given that the EU and the US are part of the same community of values and security.

The Romanian Minister will present to his counterparts in the member states a stage evaluation of the results of the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, focusing on the significance of the victory of the pro-European candidate Maia Sandu and the implications this result will have on strengthening the EU-Moldova relationship. In addition, the Romanian official will emphasize the importance of continuing and further strengthening EU support for the European and democratic future for which the citizens of the Republic of Moldova voted.

Regarding the situation in Belarus, the Romanian official will point out that it is necessary to strengthen EU measures against the Minsk regime, given that the internal situation continues to worsen in this country. He will welcome the rapid entry into force of the second package of restrictive measures against the Belarusian authorities and will express his support for the start of the procedures for the adoption of a third package of measures, the MAE emphasizes.

Bogdan Aurescu will also refer to the recent developments in Nagorno-Karabakh and will mention the need for the parties to continue to comply with the ceasefire, mediated by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. It will reiterate, in this context, Romania's proposal, put forward by Minister Bogdan Aurescu at the previous CAE meeting, to have an in-depth discussion at a future meeting of European foreign ministers on EU's role in resolving all frozen conflicts in the Eastern Neighbourhood.

During the debate on supporting multilateralism, Minister Bogdan Aurescu will highlight the fact that effective multilateralism is based on respect for international law and democratic values, as well as the importance of cooperating with states with the same international visions and strengthening the Transatlantic relation.

European Foreign Ministers will hold an exchange of views with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh of Malki. On this occasion, Minister Aurescu will underscore the need to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the EU and Palestine in order to contribute to the institutional construction and development of Palestine.

Aurescu will underscore the need for the EU to act as an honest mediator between Israel and Palestine, in close cooperation with the US and relevant regional actors, with the main objective of unblocking the Middle East Peace Process by resuming direct negotiations between the parties, which Romania supports. At the same time, it reiterates Romania's support for a just and lasting settlement of the Middle East Peace Process, based on the two-state solution - this being the only solution that meets the needs of both parties, as states coexisting in peace and security, on the occasion of the recent visit of the Prime Minister of Romania to Israel and Palestine, at the beginning of November, as well as during the visit at the level of Foreign Minister in the two states at the beginning of September. AGERPRES (RO - author: Oana Ghita, editor: Mihai Simionescu, EN - editor: Cristina Zaharia)