President Klaus Iohannis said that the French-German cooperation and integration Treaty at Aachen, whose signing he attended, reflects the commitment of France and Germany to consolidating the European project, stressing that Romania will further remain close to the two countries in achieving this goal.

“This new treaty is not just an expression of the will of Germany and France to strengthen their special and historical relations. It also reflects the sincere expression of your commitment to the consolidation of the European project. I assure you in all firmness that Romania was, is and will continue to be close to France and Germany in pursuit of this objective. The real strength of the Franco-German engine is also given by its strength of attraction.The key to a viable European project lies in the opening of the Franco-German cooperation axis to an inclusive approach of the initiatives it promotes at European level, which is the best way to strengthen the unity and cohesion of the Member States,” Iohannis said, Agerpres reads.

He brought to mind that the Elysee Treaty underlying the Aachen Treaty sealed the French-German friendship, 18 years after the end of the World War II and made possible the most grandiose integrationist political project in history, namely the European Union.

He pointed out that, despite some inherent differences of vision regarding the common European future and the rhythm and direction of development, he hopes that the cohesion force will eventually prove to be much stronger.

President Iohannis attended the signing ceremony of the French-German cooperation and integration Treaty at the invitation of Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. The head of state represented Romania as Presidency-in-Office of the Council of the European Union.

Under the new treaty, the two states express the view that closer bilateral cooperation contributes to the strengthening of the European Union.