President Iohannis welcomes Swiss and Chinese agreed ambassadors

President Klaus Iohannis received at the Cotroceni presidential Palace the agreed ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Romania, Arthur Mattli, and the accredited ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Romania, Jiang Yu, for the presentation of the copies of the letters of credence, a statement from the Presidential Administration shows.

During the meeting with the Swiss ambassador, the special dynamics of the bilateral political dialogue re-launched during last year's official visits in Bucharest of the representatives of the Swiss Confederation was welcomed, an aspect that contributes to the strengthening of the cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest. President Iohannis remembered in this context his "positive" meetings with the former and current President of the Swiss Confederation in November 2018.

"President Klaus Iohannis conveyed our country's appreciation for the projects carried out under the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Program and expressed the hope that the successes registered are a very good prerequisite for its renewal in the shortest time. Ambassador Arthur Mattli pointed out that internal procedures in Switzerland are underway for the pursuit of this program and pointed out that the Swiss side pays special attention to joint projects, for example in the field of health. The Swiss Confederation ambassador also said that the Embassy will stimulate other opportunities for economic cooperation with Romania," the press release said.

As for European affairs, the Swiss ambassador expressed interest in successfully finalizing the EU-Switzerland Institutional Framework Agreement. President Iohannis thanked the Swiss ambassador for the way Romanian citizens are treated in Switzerland, and he also appreciated the activity of Swiss citizens in Romania.

President Klaus Iohannis and the Chinese ambassador appreciated the positive relationship between the two countries, especially in the context of the special anniversary in which the ambassador assumed office: 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations and 15 years since the launch of the Ample Friendship and Cooperation Partnership between the two countries.

Klaus Iohannis welcomed the level of cooperation between the two countries, showing that the People's Republic of China is a very good trading partner of our country in the Asian region. Iohannis encouraged the diversification of bilateral cooperation, bringing to mind in this respect the importance of culture for strengthening the relationship between the two states. The Chinese ambassador also mentioned the positive cultural relationship between Romania and the People's Republic of China, indicating that this is confirmed by events such as the Sibiu Theater Festival where his country is well represented. Both the Chinese ambassador and President Iohannis welcomed the level of administrative cooperation provided by the institutional town-twinning between the cities and counties of Romania and China.

The relationship between the EU and the People's Republic of China was also approached, the Chinese ambassador voicing appreciation for Romania's exercising the Presidency of the EU Council.