Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, June 30, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Madrid. The agenda included discussions about increased cooperation in the field of energy and the war in Ukraine.

According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, during the discussions, Iohannis highlighted the good Strategic Partnership relationship between Romania and Turkey, while Erdogan stressed that the two countries have a very strong relationship. The two leaders also welcomed the growing level of economic relations, as well as the recent meeting of the Joint Economic Commission.

The two heads of state also reconfirmed the common goal of organizing this year the Trilateral meeting of presidents from Romania, Poland and Turkey.

“The President of Romania and the President of Turkey also agreed to intensify cooperation in the field of energy, with increased relevance in the current security context,” the Romanian Presidency said.

Discussions also focused on the war in Ukraine and how things could evolve. In this context, president Klaus Iohannis “shared the assessment of the Romanian side,” including following the visit to Kyiv on June 16, while Erdogan talked about the results of his mediation efforts.

Another important topic was the transit of cereals from Ukraine, with the Romanian president presenting the efforts made to increase the transit capacity through Romania.

Romanian president Iohannis was one of the NATO leaders who gathered in Madrid this week to discuss important issues facing the Alliance.

On June 29, following the adoption of the new NATO Strategic Concept, Klaus Iohannis said that Romania had fulfilled all its objectives at this summit. On the sidelines of the summit, the United States announced that it intends to increase its military presence in Europe, and a brigade of 5,000 American soldiers would be deployed in Romania.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Presidency.ro)