President Klaus Iohannis, welcomed by his German counterpart, Joachim Gauck, at the Bellevue Palace

AGERPRES special correspondent, Florentina Peia, reports: President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday was received by his German counterpart, Joachim Gauck, at the Presidential Palace in Berlin.

Photo credit: (c) Alex MICSIK / AGERPRES PHOTO

As the Presidential Administration in Bucharest informs in a press release, among the topics they tackled during the meeting was the support Romania and Germany grant to each other within the European Union, their shared concern for stability and security in the current geopolitical context, the role played by the Saxon and Swabian minorities in Romania and that of the Romanian community in Germany, respectively, in keeping traditions and cultural values, and also they talked about their being co-chairs of the Foundation for Fortified Churches in Transylvania.

The head of the Romanian state was welcomed by his German counterpart at the Bellevue Palace with a military ceremony, after which she signed in the book of honours. Before his face-to-face meeting with Joachim Gauck and the working lunch offered by the German President, Klaus Iohannis also met with a group of students from the Kepler school in the Neukolln neighborhood, which is famous for its integration programmes for children coming from a migration environment.

On Thursday, the head of the state, accompanied by his delegation, is going to meet German chancellor Angela Merkel, in the end of which meeting the two will hold a joint press conference.

Moreover, President Iohannis will have meetings, on the occasion of his visit to Germany, with the Speaker of the Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, and with the leadership of the German-Romanian Forum and also with the representatives of the Romanian community in Germany, to which latter meeting he...