Romania’s ambassador sent back to Vienna as a „gesture of openness and facilitation of a dynamic dialogue, through all available channels”, after a conversation between President Iohannis and his Austrian counterpart / Emil Hurezeanu summoned back to the country after Austria’s veto on Schengen accession

President Klaus Iohannis had a telephone conversation with the President of the Republic of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, on Thursday, at the initiative of the Austrian side. The subject of the discussion was Austria’s negative vote for Romania’s Schengen accession, and following the conversation President Iohannis decided to send the Romanian ambassador back to Vienna, which is a gesture of openness to find constructive solutions and facilitate a dynamic dialogue through all available channels, the presidential administration announced.

President Klaus Iohannis told his Austrian counterpart that Austria’s negative vote at the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on Romania’s accession to the Schengen area had disappointed Romanian citizens. The Romanian President said that this vote was all the more difficult to understand as it did not reflect the good relations between the two countries and the close cooperation in many areas, including home affairs, nor did it reflect the reality of the source of Austria’s problems with illegal migration, the press release said.

During the discussion, President Klaus Iohannis stressed that Romania is and will continue to be a provider of security and will continue to effectively protect the external border of the European Union in the interest of all European citizens, as it has done so far.

The Romanian President thanked the President of Austria for his public support for our country’s accession to Schengen and pointed out that the numerous messages of support from the political, economic, and social environment in Austria are clear signals that Romania’s place is in Schengen and that a solution can be found. Thus, President Klaus Iohannis highlighted the direct and priority interest of our country that Austria’s current position should be changed as soon as possible, with the Austrian government adopting a constructive and cooperative attitude, so that the objective of Romania’s accession to Schengen can be achieved this year.

The Romanian President also expressed the openness of the Romanian authorities to work together, bilaterally and at the European level, to implement the solutions identified to reduce illegal migration on the Balkan route, thus responding to the concerns raised by Austria. Moreover, these proposals and the willingness of the Romanian side to contribute with solutions have been repeatedly presented to the Austrian authorities.

Following the discussion with President Van der Bellen, President Klaus Iohannis decided to send back to Vienna the Romanian Ambassador, who has been called back to Romanian for consultations on the 9th of December 2022. This is a gesture of Romania’s openness to finding constructive solutions and facilitating a dynamic dialogue through all available channels.

The two Presidents also exchanged views on security developments in the region and support for Ukraine, the Presidential Administration said.

Background. On 9 December, the Foreign Ministry announced that it had invited Romania’s ambassador to Austria, Emil Hurezeanu, to the country for consultations following Vienna’s veto against Romania’s admission to Schengen: „The decision is a political gesture that underlines Romania’s position of firm disagreement with Austria’s conduct,” the statement said.

„The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that, in view of Austria’s position to vote against the Decision on Romania’s accession to the Schengen area at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 8 December 2022, by order of Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, Romania’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Austria, Emil Hurezeanu, has been summoned to the Romanian for consultations. A chargé d’affaires ad interim will head the Embassy of Romania in Vienna, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the time.

Translated article