Black Sea Area Cannot Be Safe Without Russian Involvement - Romanian President

Basescu said the Russian Federation needs to be involved in securing the Black Sea region as a partner, not a risk element.

Basescu left for Kiev Wednesday morning where he begins his two-day diplomatic tour, which includes working visits in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

Basescu will meet with Presidents Victor Yushchenko, Vladimir Voronin, Ilham Aliyev, Mikheil Saakashvili and Abdullah Gül, Chishinau mayor Dorin Chirtoaca and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The presidential administration said Basescu’s official visits would focus on the situation in Georgia and its impact on a regional level. 

Basescu will hold joint press conferences with Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, as well as joint press statements with Vladimir Voronin, Ilham Aliyev and Abdullah Gül.  

Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Lazar Comanescu, who will accompany Basescu on his diplomatic tour, said Tuesday within the extraordinary meeting of the North-Atlantic Council (NAC) that Romania continues to back Georgia’s aspirations for NATO membership. 

Comanescu also said Romania is deeply concerned about the conflict between Russia and Georgia, adding the escalation of the conflict in Georgia clearly proves the danger of frozen conflicts in the Caucasus and around the Black Sea.

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