President Klaus Iohannis was welcomed on Saturday by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace, on the occasion of his official visit to Berlin, with the two heads of state agreeing to encourage the development of economic cooperation and bilateral investments, the Presidential Administration said in a release.

The agenda of talks included cooperation between Romania and Germany, the interpersonal dimension of this relationship, the development of political dialogue and economic ties, deepening cooperation at EU level, including the strengthening of European security, as well as international topics of priority interest.

The two heads of state highlighted the very close and open bilateral dialogue, also reflected by the frequency of high-level contacts in recent years, and agreed that by taking pro-European stances, Romania and Germany have significantly contributed to EU cohesion and to strengthening European unity in these troubled times marked by the Russian aggression on Ukraine, by geopolitical changes and the consequences of the crises of the past years, the cited source reports.

"President Klaus Iohannis and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier evoked during the meeting the long historical ties between the two countries and the important moment represented by the conclusion on April 21, 1992 of the Treaty between Romania and the Federal Republic of Germany on friendly cooperation and partnership in Europe', which represents the foundation of an excellent bilateral cooperation," the release also states.

Interpersonal ties between the two countries were another central element of the discussions, and presidents Iohannis and Steinmeier emphasized that the important Romanian community in Germany and the German minority in Romania represent a bridge of dialogue and cooperation in the Romanian-German relationship, contributing significantly to the welfare of the two countries and to the development of economic ties, states the Presidential Administration.

The two heads of state agreed to encourage the development of economic cooperation and bilateral investments, Germany being for many years now Romania's top commercial partner and the second largest investor in the Romanian economy.

European security was another important topic of the talks, and the Romanian president thanked his counterpart for Germany's significant contribution as an ally to ensuring the security of Romania and strengthening NATO's eastern flank.

Klaus Iohannis emphasized, including in the light of the installation of a new administration at the White House at the beginning of next year, the need to strengthen the transatlantic relationship in order to further ensure the security of Europe in the face of current threats.

Romania and Germany will continue to support Ukraine to resist the Russian aggression, as well as Ukraine' and the Republic of Moldova's European path, the release states.

"The president of Romania thanked the German counterpart both for the invitation to continue this fruitful dialogue in Berlin, and for the invitation to address the Bundestag on the occasion of the Mourning Day for the Victims of War and Dictatorship (Volkstrauertag), on November 17," the release concludes. AGERPRES (RO - author: Sorinel Penes, editor: Anamaria Constantin; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)