Interim Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu held a bilateral meeting on Thursday in London with British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Ed Miliband, context in which they discussed the Romanian diaspora in the UK, but also the bilateral cooperation in the defence area, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) informed.

According to the quoted source, the meeting's agenda had four priorities: the Romanian diaspora in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, economic cooperation, security and collaboration in the educational and cultural area.

Oana Toiu thanked the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for its solidarity with Romania and for the enhanced air policing mission carried out by the Royal Air Force on Romanian territory between March and July. The two officials discussed trade security in the Black Sea and the role of the Port of Constanta, including British expertise in this area and in protecting critical maritime infrastructure.

She also pointed out the outstanding contribution of over one million Romanian citizens in the United Kingdom to strengthening bilateral relations, while the agenda included discussions on British schools hosting the Romanian Language, Culture and Civilisation course and the work of Romanian language lectorates at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the British Council's activities in Romania, the UK joining the Erasmus+ programme, discussions on youth and teacher mobility schemes and easier mutual recognition of diplomas and qualifications.

The two high officials assessed the current state of bilateral trade, with more than 10 billion euros in trade, and key areas for growth. The UK ranks 11th among foreign direct investors in Romania, with more than 7,000 companies with British capital registered in the country and jobs supported jointly, including through access to the Single Market, while Romanian entrepreneurs are showing growing interest in the British market.

Oana Toiu highlighted the sectors with growth potential, such as advanced technologies, financial services and the agri-food sector, where Romanian exports to the British market recorded a significant growth last year.

The two ministers discussed Romania's accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a process in which Romania has completed all the technical criteria for accession over the past year, and is relying on its partnership with the UK in this process, especially given the positive impact on joint investment. They also discussed, ahead of the future European Union-United Kingdom Summit, deepening cooperation in foreign policy and security and defence.

The history of diplomatic cooperation between Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is also part of the London Festival of Architecture. From 18 to 20 September, as part of the event, Romania will open to visitors the building that housed the Romanian Embassy in London, currently the headquarters of the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR), the MAE informed. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Ghita; EN - writing by: Rodica State)