Prime Minister Florin Cîțu has paid today, August 23, 2021, a visit to Ukraine, in Kyiv, to attend the inaugural summit of the Crimean International Platform, a recent initiative by Ukraine aimed at strengthening the policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The Romanian delegation to the summit also includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu.
Addressing the summit, the Romanian Prime Minister has announced that Romania joins the Crimea International Platform, and has reiterated our country’s firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as its firm commitment to the implementation of the non-recognition policy of the illegal annexation of Crimean peninsula.
Moreover, Prime Minister Cîțu voiced Romania’s support for Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, and showed that the fulfillment of these aspirations should be supported through a reform process whose benefits should be shared across the entire Ukrainian society, including by the Romanian minority living in Ukraine. Prime Minister of Romania has mentioned that external challenges and threats can be better dealt with if states act in a cohesive manner to solve bilateral issues.
On the sidelines of the Summit, Prime Minister Florin Cîțu had a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, on which occasion he reiterated Romania’s readiness to advance bilateral cooperation, including by organizing a new session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on cooperation in the economic, industrial, science and technology areas this year. At the same time, the two prime ministers expressed their desire to boost sectoral cooperation, with priority in the field of transport and infrastructure, and to open common border crossings. In this context, Prime Minister Florin Cîțu voiced Romania’s wish for ensuring the respect of the rights of the persons belonging to the Romanian minority.
Prime Minister Florin Cîțu had a meeting with the Secretary of Energy of the United States of America, Jennifer Granholm, on the sidelines of the summit. During the discussions, the two officials have addressed aspects of common interest for boosting the implementation of the Romania –US Intergovernmental Agreement in the field of nuclear energy as well as the bilateral cooperation regarding the use of new technologies in the field of civil nuclear energy.
Additional Information:
The Crimean International Plaform is a recent initiative of Ukraine, designed to strengthen the policy of non –recognition of the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and, in the last instance, to facilitate the return of Crimea to Ukraine.