ForMin Melescanu welcomes outgoing Belgian ambassador Baekelandt

Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Friday welcomed Belgium's ambassador in Bucharest Thomas Baekelandt on a farewell visit, praising him for the good co-operation relations between Romania and Belgium and voicing wish for their intensification and diversification, both bilaterally and within the European Union. 

According to a press statement released by the Foreign Ministry (MAE), at the meeting, "the importance of Romania's participation as a guest country at the Europalia International Festival was highlighted, and the opportunity provided by this participation to showcase less well-known aspects of the Romanian culture in Belgium." 

Melescanu also mentioned the level of economic relations between Romania and Belgium, saying that there is still an important potential for their development. 

Also mentioned was decentralised co-operation, which represents a well-developed side of bilateral sectoral co-operation, while the prospect for organising a new edition of the Decentralised Co-operation Forum in Romania this autumn was welcomed. 

The contribution of the Romanian Villages Operation to the strengthening of bilateral co-operation at local level and to the development of direct dialogue between Romanian and Belgian citizens was brought up. 

Melescanu commended Baekelandt for his contribution to the development of bilateral relations and wished him success with future work, according to MAE.