Eduardo González
Spain and Romania have celebrated in 2023 the tenth anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, which has allowed “consolidating bilateral relations at all levels” and “reinforcing close cooperation and coordination as partners in the European Union and allies in NATO.”
“The decision to establish a Strategic Association between Spain and Romania, in 2013, was a confirmation of the special relationship between the two countries,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted yesterday in a statement. “This relationship is based on historical and cultural affinities, on common values and visions and on the deep and lasting bond favored by a shared Latin identity, and constantly enriched by the presence of a dynamic Romanian community in Spain and of Spaniards in Romania,” it added.
“The promotion of the Strategic Partnership between our two countries served to reinforce the common commitment to consolidate our bilateral relations, at all levels, as well as to reinforce the close cooperation and coordination as partners in the European Union and allies in NATO,” it added.
“We are key partners in the EU and NATO,” declared yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, through his account on the social network X. “We will continue working together to deepen bilateral relations, enriched by the important Romanian community in Spain,” he added. “Ten years of Strategic Partnership! As EU Member States and NATO allies, we celebrate the political and economic ties, reinforced by our dynamic communities in Romania and Spain. “Congratulations on the excellent Presidency of Spain of the Council of the EU!” wrote the Romanian Embassy in Madrid through the same social network.
According to Foreign Ministry, “ten years after this historic moment, Spain and Romania continue to maintain excellent relations and solid cooperation, confirmed by an extensive agenda of contacts at all levels.” An example of this, highlighted by the Ministry, is the organization of the first Spanish-Romanian Summit, held in Castellón de la Plana, in November 2022, which “was a milestone for the bilateral relationship, and has become an engine for development. of new projects of common interest.”
Furthermore, “one of the key elements of the bilateral relationship is the Romanian community in Spain and the Spanish community in Romania, whose contribution to our bilateral relations we also recognize,” continued the Ministry, which assured that “work has already begun to provide an appropriate legal framework for these relationships, which are an inseparable part of our common future, in the form of a Dual Nationality Agreement.”
According to the Department of Albares, the Strategic Partnership between the two countries is also reflected in “close cooperation and consultation within the framework of the European Union, based on convergent visions and common objectives,” and in the reinforcement of bilateral dialogue on matters of security “in the context of Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine.” “Spain and Romania are Allies in NATO, and the Spanish contribution to strengthening the Eastern Flank demonstrates Allied solidarity and the common will to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense posture,” it continued.
Foreign Ministry also highlighted the launch in 2023 of the so-called “Valencia Trio”, the trilateral format at the level of foreign ministers of Spain, Romania and Poland, which represents “proof of the solidity of bilateral associations and the need to develop “new formats of strategic cooperation to advance common interests, explore synergies and promote shared approaches in key areas, as partners in the European Union and allies in NATO.”
