Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva, who was on a visit to Romania on November 3-4, held working consultations with State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of this country Dănuţ-Sebastian Neculaescu.
During the meeting, the diplomats paid considerable attention to the development of the security situation in eastern Ukraine. Ihor Zhovkva thanked Romania for its continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state and drew attention to the constant violations of the ceasefire by the Russian occupation forces, which lead to an increase in the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed.
It was also emphasized that shipping was restricted in certain areas of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Ihor Zhovkva thanked the Romanian side for participating in the Crimea Platform Summit and called for active further participation in the activities of this international mechanism.
During the meeting, special attention was paid to the realization of Ukraine's European aspirations.
"I expect that Romania will be one of the next EU states to recognize Ukraine's European perspective," said Ihor Zhovkva.
The interlocutors agreed to intensify work on a respective draft bilateral political declaration.
The parties discussed in detail topical issues of energy security in the region. Ihor Zhovkva informed the Romanian side about the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch a regional platform to strengthen energy security.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President confirmed the invariability of Ukraine's strategic course towards Euro-Atlantic integration and thanked Romania for the support of our state on this path. The Ukrainian side expressed readiness to further deepen security cooperation in the framework of the NATO Enhanced Opportunities Program.
The interlocutors noted positive trends in bilateral cooperation, in particular in the trade and economic direction.
"The implementation of bilateral infrastructure projects will also contribute to the recovery of economies," said Ihor Zhovkva.
In this regard, the parties praised the launch of the ferry across the Danube Orlivka - Isaccea and the intensification of work on the construction of a bridge across the Tisza near the settlements of Bila Tserkva (Ukraine) and Sighetu Marmației (Romania).
In Bucharest, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President also met with Acting Director of the Department of Defense Policy and International Relations of the Romanian Ministry of National Defense Mihai Iancu. The parties focused on Ukraine's relations with the European Union and NATO, the situation in Donbas and the temporarily occupied Crimea. Coordination of further actions to ensure security in the Black Sea was discussed separately.