Welcome
Foreign Minister Baerbock travels to Romania: support for Moldova
Foreign Minister Baerbock at the Moldova Conference in Bucharest, © photothek / Thomas Trutschel
Foreign Minister Baerbock will be in Bucharest on Friday (15 July), where she will participate in the second Moldova Support Conference. Other topics of discussion during her visit to Romania will be German-Romanian cooperation and the global grain crisis.
Moldova Support Conference in Bucharest
During the first Moldova Support Conference in Berlin in March, the Support Platform for the Republic of Moldova was launched at the initiative of Foreign Minister Baerbock. It serves as a framework for Moldova’s international partners to provide the country with tailor-made and coordinated assistance. As a neighbouring country of Ukraine, Moldova is under intense pressure due to Russia’s brutal war of aggression. The main focus is on helping to provide accommodation and basic necessities to those who have fled Ukraine, as well as on energy issues, medium and long-term support for the rule of law, improved border management, and economic and financial resilience. The upcoming support conference in Bucharest on 15 July is an opportunity for participants to take stock of what has been achieved in working groups on these issues in recent months and to inject new momentum into their work. It is expected that participants will also make new financial pledges for the support platform.
30th anniversary of the German-Romanian Treaty on Friendly Cooperation
During her visit, Foreign Minister Baerbock will also pay tribute to the close German-Romanian friendship. Romania and Germany have a long tradition of close relations. 30 years ago, on 21 April 1992, the German-Romanian Treaty on Friendly Cooperation was signed, establishing a solid foundation for close cooperation that continues to this day. During her visit, Foreign Minister Baerbock and her Romanian counterpart Aurescu will also sign a first‑day cover featuring the stamp that is being issued in Romania in honour of the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on Friendship.
One pillar of the close partnership between the two countries is Romania’s German minority (approximately 37,000 people). In Romania, German culture and language are a part of everyday life. The German Government provides support in the form of funding for German language instruction. Economic ties, too, are close and successful, and Romania’s accession to the European Union in 2007 has contributed substantially to their development. Today, Germany is Romania’s most important trading partner, as well as the country’s largest foreign direct investor, especially for the automobile supply and retail sectors.
The port of Constanța – a key transshipment point for Ukrainian grain
During her trip to Romania, Foreign Minister Baerbock will also visit the port of Constanța, which is becoming increasingly important as a transshipment point for exporting grain from Ukraine. It is expected that, in the course of this year, two million tonnes of grain will be exported through the port of Constanța. However, some 18‑20 million tonnes are still in Ukraine, awaiting export. With the support of Romanian authorities, German companies are therefore working to further expand the port’s export capacity. Specifically, the railway tracks at the port have to be repaired, and additional transport and container solutions are needed.