Acting minister of foreign affairs and European integration Aureliu Ciocoi took part in the online meeting of foreign affairs ministers of the Visegrád Group (V4) and Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said the participants in the meeting adopted a common statement on the subjects discussed in the meeting, which will be published on the organization’s website, IPN reports. 

Aureliu Ciocoi supported the approach to focus the future objectives on resilience strengthening in the five key areas: economy, good governance, environment, digital transformation, society. He reiterated he is confident that the EaP Summit of this autumn will produce an ambitious and long-term view that will take into account the European aspirations of the EaP countries. He reaffirmed the necessity of developing cooperation with increased emphasis on the offering of additional European integration perspectives to the associate countries – the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine.

In the session centering on security aspects, Aureliu Ciocoi pleaded for intensifying cooperation between the EU and its Eastern partners that are interested in the common security and defense policy and in strengthening cyber-security and the capacities to counteract hybrid threats. He reiterated the necessity of increasing the EU’s role in settling unsolved conflicts in the EaP countries.

The event also involved the foreign affairs ministers of Portugal, Sweden and Finland and high-ranking officials of European institutions. The discussions centered both on subjects related to the prospects of the Eastern Partnership and different regional security aspects.