The second round of talks on Romania’s participation in the missile defense system took place in Bucharest on July 26-27. The Romanian delegation was headed by Bogdan Aurescu, State Secretary for Strategic Affairs within MFA, and the US delegation was headed by Frank Rose, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Defense Policy and Verification Operations (Arms Control).
On this occasion, there were continued the negotiations regarding the juridical frame that will regulate the settlement on the Romanian soil of components of the American Missile Defense system in Europe, and significant progress was achieved. The next round of negotiations will take place in 2010, in autumn.

Press release

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs took note of the presentation by the International Court of Justice of the Advisory Opinion on the "accordance with international law of the unilateral declaration of independence by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo".
MFA deems necessary a detailed analysis of the Advisory Opinion, in order to identify, in a correct and complete manner, the reasoning of the Court.
Based on a preliminary analysis, the Romanian side notices that the way in which the question was formulated by the General Assembly of the United Nations did not allow the Court to approach the issue on substance. Therefore, the Court analyzed, in a restrictive manner, only the legality of making a declaration of independence per se, not the legal consequences of such a declaration, i.e. the legality of the creation of an allegedly new state.

Press release

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi had a meeting on July 21^st, 2010, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, with Major General Nick Carter, who is in charge of ISAF’s Regional Command South.
The two high officials had an in-depth exchange of views on the security developments in southern Afghanistan, an area that also counts the largest proportion of the Romanian military deployed in that country. They discussed ISAF’s priorities for the coming period in this difficult theater of operations and the main results of the July 20^th, 2010 Conference on Afghanistan in Kabul.
The head of Romanian diplomacy reiterated Romania's firm commitment in support of the international community’s efforts in Afghanistan, and NATOs’ in particular. 

Press release

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi is attending the International Conference on Afghanistan, held in Kabul today, July 20^th, 2010.
The Kabul Conference is part of the series of major events meant to coordinate the international community’s efforts in Afghanistan and the support rendered to Afghan authorities in taking over responsibility for Afghanistan’s security. The most recent event in this series took place in London on January 28^th, 2010; Romania was also represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi. 
The attendance of the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Conference will be an opportunity to raise several topics of interest for Romania and to strengthen its profile as a responsible Ally, in the context of its significant contribution to the international community’s efforts in Afghanistan and the assistance rendered by Romania to Afghan authorities towards their taking over responsibility for their country’s security. 

Press release

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi had a bilateral meeting today with General David Petraeus, ISAF Commander, on the occasion of the Kabul Conference on Afghanistan.
The two officials had a substantial exchange of views on the current situation in Afghanistan, particularly on the country’s security and the preparation of conditions for transition of full responsibility to the Afghan authorities, depending on the concrete situation in the field.
The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs congratulated the new ISAF Commander, General Petraeus, on his appointment to this position and assured him of Romania’s full support for the success of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.

Press release

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi had a short meeting with his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov, on Tuesday, July 20^th.
The two officials discussed the bilateral relationship, energy cooperation and developments in Azerbaijan’s dialog with the European Union. Romania's Minister of Foreign Affairs invited his Azeri counterpart for an official visit to Bucharest.
The head of Azeri diplomacy spoke about the latest regional developments, including those related to efforts to settle the Nagorno Karabakh dossier.

Press release

State Secretary for Strategic Affairs Bogdan Aurescu headed on July 16-17, the Romanian delegation at the OSCE informal ministerial meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, which currently exercises the Chairmanship-in-Office of the Organization.
In his addresses, delivered on the two days of debates the Romanian official emphasized Romania’s firm support for Kazakhstan’s hosting a Summit of OSCE Heads of State or Government, in Astana, this year. He said that in Romania's view the OSCE Summit would make it possible to see top-level political decisions made to put the conditions in place for the Organization to adequately respond, by strengthening the existing mechanisms, to the current crises and political conflicts which impact on the present international relations in a dynamic and varying manner.

Press release

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi had a meeting today with Canada’s Minister of International Trade Peter Van Loan, who is on a two-day visit in Bucharest.
During the talks the two officials re-confirmed the special partnership that exists between Romania and Canada and approached shared-interest topics on the bilateral agenda: visa liberalization for Romanian citizens who wish to travel to Canada and stronger economic cooperation – an essential component of the bilateral relations.
One of the main topics the two officials discussed during their meeting was the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the European Union and Canada, currently under negotiation and whose goal is to extend and strengthen economic and trade relations between the European Union and the North-American state. Romania is a strong supporter of having this legal instrument finalized.

Press release

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi presented a stage review after six months from taking office today, July 12th, at a press conference.
The analysis started from the three priority objectives set at the beginning of the year: to assert Romania’s profile, as EU Member State, to deepen and expand privileged relations in the form of strategic partnerships, and to meet several security objectives. Joining the Schengen Area and improving consular services are also main sectoral objectives pursued by MFA.
At the end of the press conference, Minister Baconschi launched MFA’s new visual identity: “Today, we are officially moving on to a new stage in MFA’s public communication, through a new visual identity of the Ministry. We hope it is able to impress the public with the mark of a modern, open institution, with a simple and straightforward communication,” said the head of Romanian diplomacy.

Press release