President Iohannis welcomes Croatian senior official Buric to discuss Romanian, Croatian communities, economic co-operation

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis on Friday welcomed visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia Marija Pejcinovic Buric to discuss political dialogue, economic co-operation and the state of play in the Romanian speaking communities of Croatia and the Croatian minority in Romania. According to a press statement released by the Presidential Administration, also addressed were items on the bilateral, European and regional agendas. The two officials highlighted the excellent level of the bilateral political dialogue, marked by an intense schedule of meetings at all levels. Iohannis underscored the importance of consolidation and economic co-operation enabling the development potential of the two countries to be achieved. The bridging role between the two countries of the Romanian-speaking communities of Croatia and the Croatian minority in Romania was highlighted, with Buric hailing the treatment extended to the Croatian minority in Romania. Iohannis also underscored the importance of continuing close Romanian-Croatian co-ordination in terms of both countries holding for the first time the presidency of the Council of the European Union within the same troika, alongside Finland. He mentioned that Romania has so far achieved good results in holding the presidency of Council of the European Union. At the same time, the two officials voiced concern over the United Kingdom's withdrawal process from the European Union, amidst the result of the UK's House of Commons vote to reject UK's withdrawal agreement for a second time. Iohannis reiterated Romania's support, including at the helm of the EU Council, for an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom, and for foundations being laid for a future relationship as close as possible between the European Union and the United Kingdom. Iohannis and Buric also highlighted the two nations' excellent co-operation in promoting the Three Seas Initiative, which aims among its main objectives to increase cohesion at the level of the European Union. They voiced confidence in the informal European summit in Sibiu on May 9 being a good opportunity to convey a message of unity, pro-European commitment and to design a positive perspective for the future of the European Union, according to the Presidential Administration. AGERPRES (RO - author: Alina Novaceanu, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)