The President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, went to Istanbul on Saturday, where he discussed with the President of Turkey about strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries and about security in the Black Sea region.
The visit of the head of state comes in the context of the preparation of the NATO summit in Ankara, scheduled for the beginning of July, where important decisions are to be made for the Eastern flank of the Alliance. Among the topics covered were the expansion of cooperation in submarine infrastructure, the relocation of the NATO Center from Istanbul to Constanța and the creation of a European civil security hub in the Black Sea.
President Nicușor Dan declared that the strategic partnership between Romania and Turkey could also be extended with regard to the submarine infrastructure in the Black Sea. This cooperation could include projects related to power cables and submarine communications, which are essential for regional security and interconnectivity. “At the NATO summit in Ankara, the strategic partnership between Romania and Turkey could also be extended with regard to the submarine infrastructure in the Black Sea”said the president Nicușor Dan.
Emanuel Cernat, foreign policy analyst, explained for “The Truth” the stakes of President Nicușor Dan’s visit to Turkey:
“The main reason for President Nicușor Dan’s visit to Turkey is the preparation of the NATO summit in Ankara, scheduled for early July, on which extremely important decisions will be made for the entire North Atlantic Alliance and, in particular, for the states on the eastern flank, including Romania.”
According to Emanuel Cernat, through this visit, President Dan is trying to carry out an advocacy effort for Romania, taking advantage of the fact that the host state of a summit benefits from an increased influence in setting the agenda:
“During this visit, Nicușor Dan tries to carry out an advocacy approach for our country, knowing that the host state of a summit benefits from increased influence in setting the agenda. For Romania, it is essential that this agenda includes the maintenance of NATO’s presence in the vicinity of the conflict and the security of the Black Sea as the main theme, and this last topic represents a common interest of Romania and Turkey, providing a solid basis for discussions. At the same time, through his message, President Dan diplomatically extends an invitation to President Erdoğan to visit Romania this fall, which underlines the development and strengthening of bilateral relations.”
A Nicușor Dan more involved in external affairs?
The analyst also commented on the accommodation of President Nicușor Dan with the duties of foreign representation, stressing that a one-year mandate is a reasonable term for familiarization with diplomatic customs.
“As far as the president’s external involvement is concerned, it is difficult to assess whether he has so far successfully covered this dimension of the mandate, especially since in Romania there is a strong emotional charge in reporting to the presidential institution, often influenced by the filters of internal politics. Naturally, any president in his first term needs time to adjust to the duties of external representation, and in the case of Nicușor Dan, this beginning was a steep one, as he had no governmental experience However, after a year in office, it can be assumed that he became familiar with diplomatic customs and the way international meetings are conducted.”explained Emanuel Cernat.
The analyst emphasized that bilateral meetings are easier to manage, but multilateral ones, such as NATO summits, entail multiple challenges, especially in the current context, where interpersonal relations between leaders are becoming increasingly important.
“Although bilateral meetings are easier to manage from a protocol point of view, multilateral ones, such as NATO summits, the UN General Assembly or the European Council, involve multiple challenges and are much more difficult to coordinate, especially in the current context, where interpersonal relations between leaders are gaining more and more importance, sometimes surpassing classic diplomatic channels. In this regard, President Nicușor Dan can still gain experience in direct interaction with his counterparts, and regarding the summit in Ankara, all eyes will turn to a possible first direct contact with US President Donald Trump”stated Emanuel Cernat.
The analyst emphasized that, since Romania’s relationship with the European Union is already on a good path, the current focus of foreign policy is moving towards strengthening the strategic partnership with the United States, a direction that President Dan constantly emphasizes.
“We often see the special emphasis placed by the president on the transatlantic dimension of Romania’s international relations, from the replacement of the term “pro-European” with “pro-Western”, to the repeated attempts to strengthen diplomatic relations with the USA”concluded Emanuel Cernat.
