ForMin Aurescu, at informal meeting of EU Foreign ministers; main topic - the transatlantic relationship

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, will participate, on Monday, in the informal meeting of the heads of diplomacies from the member states of the European Union, held by video-conference system, on transatlantic relations, with the participation of the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

The ministers will have a "strategic" discussion, with a focus on the importance of the EU-USA partnership, shows a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to AGERPRES on Sunday.

According to the MAE, talks will also focus on the international consequences of the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and on strengthening transatlantic cooperation, including from the perspective of combining the efforts of the European Union and the USA to combat misinformation.

Another topic that European Foreign ministers will address with the US official will be the relationship with China, with the aim of enhancing EU-US dialogue and coordination at this level.

There will also be an exchange of views on the Middle East Peace Process (OMPP) and the Eastern Neighborhood, with an emphasis on the situation in Ukraine.

Minister Bogdan Aurescu will convey "a message of unity and pragmatism, as well as the need to strengthen the transatlantic link, the current context marked by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighting the importance of this relationship," the source specifies.

The head of Romanian diplomacy will also address the issue of energy security and connectivity, a relevant example of transatlantic cooperation being the potential of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), which must be "deepened". At the same time, he will emphasize the need to maintain a strong US presence in areas affected by protracted conflicts, especially in the Eastern Neighborhood.

In the current affairs section, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will refer to the preparation of the International Partnership Conference with Sudan (Berlin, 25 June) and to the Conclusions of the Security and Defense Council.