MAS Talks/ Bogdan Aurescu, presidential counselor: Romania can play an important regional role if mobilizes all its resources and acts accordingly

MAS Talks/ Bogdan Aurescu, presidential counsellor: Romania can play an important regional role if mobilizes all its resources and acts accordingly

Romania can play an important regional role if mobilizes all its resources and acts accordingly, said for MAS Talks, presidential counselor for foreign policy, Bogdan Aurescu, talking in the context high-level summit of Three Seas Initiative (3SI) from Bucharest, which is around the corner, an event to be hosted by president Klaus Iohannis.

Asked if Romania needs to become a regional leader, the presidential counselor said: I do not think that what is important is to tag one’s costume like that and then say: <Hey, look at me, I am a regional leader. No, that is not relevant. What is important is what you actually do. I have said it in other circumstances too. You are exactly what you do. It is really important what Romania did, for example, for this summit (3SI Summit). And I think that we proved that we did a lot, and we accomplished not only conceptually, but also concretely, some really important things, which I hope will be appreciated by the participants at the summit. It is a particular example that shows that Romania, clearly can. It has the capacity to play an important regional role”.

Bogdan Aurescu remarked that the 3SI summit, which will take place in Bucharest between 17^th and 18^th September, will contribute at fortifying our trans-atlantic partnership, which is “vital, not only for our prosperity and security, but also for the community values that is representing”.

“The fact that we accomplished, through this summit, to be part of our trans-atlantic partnership consolidation is extremely important. That is because the trans-atlantic partnership is vital, not only for our prosperity and security, but also for the community values that is representing. We only have one set of values. There is only one security community. Even if now there is a series of divergences between Atlantic’s two coasts.

Romania’s extraordinary contribution element is actually putting on the table, through 3SI, an extremely positive contribution factor, for both sides of Atlantic, whereupon, during the presidency of the European Union, to carry it forward, next year, on this maintenance and consolidation direction of the trans-atlantic relation.  There are some examples which prove that Romania can play an important role if mobilizes all its resources and acts accordingly”, states presidential counselor for foreign policy.

“Today we are talking about an initiative which is a modern concept, which starts from admitting a development difference for the states in the region- between the three seas: Baltic, Adriatic Black- and EU member states from Western Europe. (…) It is an informal flexible politic platform, at a presidential level, but which with Bucharest’s summit is moving forward, firstly following the stimulation of the economic development of states in the region, through an increased interconnectivity in three domains which are seen as upmost for the 12 participant states (EU members): transports, energy and digital. (…) The initiative wants to use interconnection projects stimulation to actually stimulate participant states’ economies competitiveness and reach the real convergence with economies from West states. This is the actual concept of 3SI (…) Bucharest’s summit is important because the initiative will deliver concrete results. (…) In order to prove the real value added to such a enterprise, to show that truly matters and that builds up something, you have to put on the table some concrete results”, said for MAS Talks presidential counselor Bogdan Aurescu.

Romania’s concrete contribution at 3SI’s new design

“There were many meetings prepared by presidential advisers for foreign policy. We hosted two such reunions. We got to homologate at this level, in November, summit’s concept, business forum (which will be developed alongside with the politic summit). Practically, we made this “lifting” to give Initiative a new design. What we agreed on? At Romania’s proposal, we agreed on initiative’s pillars, the direction lines and the objectives, the concrete results.

There are three fundamental objectives. Firstly, the Initiative is a pro-economic development instrument. Secondly, it is a pro-convergence initiative inside the EU, which stimulates the cohesion and relaunch of European project. Third pillar: The Initiative supports fortifying the trans-atlantic relation. Besides the importance that European Union has in the region it is very important also for US to come with an increased economic and investment presence. (…)

There is an US increasing presence and interest regarding security and the military presence in NATO’s east flank. (…)

If this Initiative, which has a strong support from the US, will get to stimulate US to come in the region with an increased economic and investment presence, doubling its participation in the security and military area, we will be able to say that the Initiative is a consolidation instrument of the trans-atlantic relation. (…)

At 17^th-18^th September summit we will have some guests of honor like the European Committee, with president Juncker, as well as the US, with Energy’s Secretary, Mr. Rick Perry. (…)

Hence, we made it by ourselves to get at the same table, for Bucharest’s summit, the EU and also the US, in a project which is seen by both parts as the positive construction of the trans-atlantic relation, on a background with disputes in the last period, on different sensitive files.”, said also the presidential counselor, Bogdan Aurescu.

The concrete substance of Bucharest Summit/ Germany, unseen presence/ Nine chief of states are coming to Romania

“Expressing the politic support for a series of interconnection projects between the states in the region (…) We have 40-45 interconnection projects (…) The fact that the summit will homologate the list, means that it receives a sort of qualitative politic seal, which allows an easy financing from European sources, American sources, eventually, regional sources. (…)

Another concrete results will be the business forum. (…) It is the first time when we organize such important meeting, with over 600 participants, companies, governmental officials from Initiative’s states, EU, US, West Balkans, Moldavia, Georgia, and Ukraine. It is a presence which allows us to discuss the upmost projects from the short list and the debate of strategic implications that the projects have.

Another result: Creating a Commerce House network in the region (…) It will be a common declaration of Commerce House’s presidents.

Signing a document about creating an Investment Fund of the Initiative.

We will have a prestigious participation: nine state presidents, a prime-minister, two Parliament presidents and a Foreign Affairs Minister (…) The European Committee, with president Juncker, the US Secretary with Secretary Perry, BEI and BERD presidents, a high-rank representative of World Bank’s (…).

And a premiere for 3SI summit: Germany participates as a guest of honor, through the presence of the Foreign Minister. It is an interest they had, to get closer to the Initiative (…) there is the interest and consensus of all states to get Germany closer to the Initiative”, added the presidential counselor, Bogdan Aurescu.

Bucharest 9 and the 3SI- separated, complementary, but well-defined ways

“Bucharest 9 is a separated initiative, which has another objective. The format is close to our hears because it is co-initiated by Romania’ president along with Poland’s one. Its aim is to discuss over a security agenda, interested for NATO states from the eastern flank. It is strictly focused on security. (…)

The 3SI has no security agenda. It is an initiative which follows the economic development, stimulating the competitiveness, interconnection. (…)

These have separated, complementary, but well-defined ways. (…)

It does not mean that the Initiative has no strategic implications. Creating an integrated energy market, a Energy Union (…) In transports domain, Romania proposed the rehabilitation and modernization of a railway between Constanta and Gdansk, the two ports from Black Sea, Baltic Sea (…) Via Carpathia- proposed by Poland, whereat Romania wants to participate also.

These surely have a civil importance, through economic development, but there is also a relevance for the domain which was debated lately, military mobility, NATO, but also the EU”, explained presidential counselor, Bogdan Aurescu.

A firm conclusion

“It is a summit which has an economic, but also politic-strategical importance. If these results will be homologated at the summit, it means that the Initiative will reach a politic and conceptual maturity level, which will allow the development of these directions”, appreciated for MAS Talks presidential counselor, Bogdan Aurescu.