Latvia's Ambassador, on Romania in Schengen: Decision reaching during Latvian Presidency, realistic possibility

Latvia's Ambassador to Romania Ilgvars Klava on Wednesday said that there is a 'realistic possibility' for a decision to be reached during the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union concerning Romania's accession to the Schengen area.

Photo credit: (c) Simion MECHNO / AGERPRES PHOTO

'Related with the accession to the Schengen area, judging on the data we have, be believe it is a realistic possibility for a decision to be reached during the Latvian Presidency,' the Latvian diplomat said, during a joint press conference with Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu, on the occasion of Latvia's taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Klava showed that the Latvian Presidency is determined to remove the remaining obstacles, so that Romania can become a Schengen area member.

'We are working together on the security issues and on everything that means airports and the movement of some people who have criminal and terrorist intentions. Therefore we must work together on these security issues, but they shouldn't be used as a pretext or as an excuse for not continuing the expansion of the Schengen area,' the Ambassador pointed out.

In his turn, the Romanian chief diplomat showed that the accession to the Schengen area represents a very important objective for Bucharest, Romania having already begun to act as a de facto Schengen state in terms of the efforts made for consolidating the internal security of the European Union.

'We believe that a Romania inside the Schengen area, de jure, not only de facto, represents nothing but an added value, especially in the current internal security context,' Aurescu said.

He also said that Romania's external border, which is also the EU's...