Romanian President: “Serbia’s EU bid in Romania’s interest”

Serbia’s accession “to EU and NATO” represents a national interest for Romania, Romanian President Traian Basescu said.

Speaking in Bucharest at the start of his new five-year term, Basescu said that the Western Balkans was “extremely important for Romania as a stable and prosperous area in its immediate proximity, which, for the states in this region, translates as supporting the European and Euro-Atlantic integration processes”.

“Romania has built an international image of a state that respects and promotes the law in the international relations and backs its interests by relying on the full respect for the international law,” Basescu said during the annual meeting with heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Bucharest.

“In February 2009, the International Court of Justice pronounced a fair solution on the case of the delimitation of the Black Sea maritime areas. This positive experience offers me the necessary arguments to encourage the use of the international jurisdiction system in full confidence. There is similar logic in Romania’s active involvement in the case of expressing a consultative opinion at the International Court of Justice on Kosovo issue”, the president said quoted by Romanian agency Agerpres.