MAE hails 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations with France, Germany and UK

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) hails the anniversary on Thursday of 140 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties with the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, adding that these three states are among the main political and economic partners of our country.

The bilateral relations with the three states provide the framework for an "excellent" cooperation at both political level and in key sectors such as the economic, social or cultural ones, with the Romanian-French, Romanian-German and Romanian-British connections being based, before anything else, on the similar understanding of the international environment and a common set of values, reads a press release of the MAE sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

"The special relation of friendship with the three states saw important moments once with Romania's accession to NATO and the European Union. Our country's belonging to the European and Euro-Atlantic structures, based on common values and principles, brought a complementary element to the strategic bilateral cooperation," specified the same source.

The connections between the Romanian, French, German and British people culminated in the modern age and remain strong in the present, highlighted the MAE release.

"Personalities such as Constantin Brancusi, George Enescu, Eugen Ionescu made a name for themselves in France and, very fast, they became landmarks of the universal culture. Based on these, the Romanian-France Season, which included an ample calendar of events in various fields of activity, marked the amplest cultural project and of public diplomacy as part of the Romanian-French strategic cooperation. At the same time, the privileged relations with Germany, of a strategic nature, are based on the special and powerful human contact, which are manly due to the bridge represented by the Germany minority in Romania, which played an essential role in the modernisation and progress of the Romanian society and the increasingly more numerous Romanian community in the German state," showed the MAE.

Moreover, in 1938, Bucharest was among the cities where the British Council network expanded, only four years since the creation of this organisation in the UK. "Today, the active presence of the Romanians in the society, economy and the universities in the United Kingdom contribute to the strengthening of the human dimension and ties between our people. The Romanian-British cooperation contributed in time to the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in our extended region and it will continue to pursue this desideratum in the future too, in the post-Brexit era," reads the release.

On February 20, 1880, the diplomatic representatives of France, Germany and the UK communicated a note to the Romanian authorities through which they recognized Romania's independence. Beyond the historical importance for Romania of this 1880 moment, also "remarkable" is the timing of the three great powers, which was a rare thing to happen back then, and which was also the result of the Romanian diplomatic action, said MAE. Through their gesture, the three great powers determined other European countries to recognize the Romanian state too, and establish diplomatic relations with our country, which led to the Romanian state switching to a new phase of institutional modernisation and seeing an increase in its international prestige, reads the same release.

The path and developments of the relations built in these 140 years provide a framework for the strengthening of the strategic and privileged relations with the three states through substantial and cohesive projects, which reflect the substance of political cooperation and values of our societies, underscored the MAE.