Ambassador of Romania, Emilian Ion, on Monday said his country is committed to regional peace and stability and would extend all possible cooperation to the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan in this regard.

He said Romanian troops were already engaged in the rebuilding process of Afghanistan under the umbrella of NATO, and hoped that with the coordinated efforts of international community and regional countries such as Pakistan, peace would soon return to Afghanistan.

Speaking to a select group of media people on his country’s national day, the Romanian ambassador said Romania is an active donor of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and is committed to support achieving the Millennium Development Goals with main objective of poverty eradication.

Romania’s priority regions are Western Balkans, with focus on Serbia, Eastern Europe, Republic of Moldova, South Caucasus and Georgia. Through its development projects, Romania contributes to enhance stability, security and prosperity in these regions, he said.

Emilian Ion said Romania is doing extremely well in the field of economy as positioned at the crossroads of European Union, the Balkans and CIS countries. He said besides having highly skilled labors force, the country is rich in natural resources including surface and underground waters, fertile agricultural land, oil and gas and a high potential for tourism.

To a question about his country’s relationship with European Union, he said being the EU member since 2007 and the 7th largest country of the Union, Romania actively supports and contributes to European policies and projects. Romania has promoted the EU Black Sea Synergy, aimed at developing cooperation around the Black Sea and bringing this area closer to the European Union, he said.

He said it is the 5th largest contributor to the EU Monitoring Mission that ensures stability in Georgia, after the conflict in August 2008. He mentioned well-developed networks of mobile telecommunications in GSM systems; highly developed industrial infrastructure, including oil and petrochemicals; branch offices of various well-known international banks offering huge investment potential to outside businessmen.

He said Romania is a country that offers equal opportunities to people of all faiths. When asked to comment on the recently implemented Lisbon Treaty, the Ambassador said Romania has welcomed with great satisfaction the entry into force on December 1, 2009, of the Lisbon Treaty. The Treaty will give the Union greater coherence and increased visibility at international level.

The ambassador said Romania is a NATO member since 2004, and hosted in Bucharest in April 2008, the largest ever summit of the Alliance, both as number of participants (over 6500) and as formats.

To another question about pre-Communist and post-Communist era, the envoy said freedom meant a start for a new life for millions of Romanians, living in Romania or abroad. In December 1989, Romanians won their right to be individuals with rights and freedoms as any other citizen of the free world.