Bogdan Aurescu: Today, Romania and Poland are strong strategic partners

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, sent on Wednesday a message for marking the centennial of the Romanian-Polish Defence Alliance, which was broadcast during the international conference "One people, two flags", organized in Warsaw by the Romanian Embassy to the Republic of Poland, agerpres reports.

"The signing, 100 years ago, of the Romanian-Polish Defence Alliance Convention laid the foundations for a special relationship between Romania and the Republic of Poland, significantly strengthening the traditional friendship and close ties between our states," the Romanian diplomat said in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry (MAE).

He stressed that "today, Romania and the Republic of Poland are strong strategic partners, our relations being characterized by a dynamic and substantial dialogue and cooperation in multiple fields".

The minister also referred to the current contexts in which the two countries work together.

"Political and security dialogue has intensified, trade has doubled, bringing institutions, communities and people closer from the two countries. In recent years, we have witnessed the establishment of major frameworks for dialogue and coordination, such as the Bucharest 9 Format and the Three Seas Initiative, which Romania and Poland have created, promoted and encouraged, to which is added the Trilateral on security issues at the level of foreign ministers from Romania, Poland and Turkey," he said.

Thus, he underlined "the excellent coordination within NATO and the common vision that our countries share towards the consolidation of the transatlantic relationship".

Wednesday's event is part of a series of MAE actions dedicated to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of the Defence Alliance Convention between the Kingdom of Romania and the Republic of Poland, a symbolic moment of the bilateral relationship between the two states, and included a discussion session dedicated to the past, present and future of Romanian-Polish relations, having as speakers the two Polish historians who edited the volume "One People with Two Flags. The Polish-Romanian Alliance (1918) 1921-1926" - Krzysztof Nowak (Silesian University) and Henryk Walczak (University of Szczecin).

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The original texts of the Convention of the Romanian-Polish Defence Alliance of 1921 and of the subsequent treaties, of 1926 and 1931, for its extension, were exhibited, in original, at the National Military Circle, within an exhibition organized by the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the conference organized by the Institute for Political Studies of Defence and Military History, in collaboration with the Polish Institute in Bucharest, with the theme: "Centennial of the Romanian-Polish military alliance" (March 17, 2021).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Diplomatic Archives, also contributed to the publication, on March 15, 2021, of the bilingual album "Romania and Poland: a Century of Alliance. Documents", made in collaboration with the Institute for Political Studies, Defence and Military History and the Romanian National Military Archives.